A recent public survey indicates what people perceive to be the professions most lacking integrity in China. In order, starting from the worst are: physicians (74.2%), police (57.8%), teachers (51.5), lawyers (48.4%), and civil servants (47.8%), followed by journalists (37.6%), accountants (30.7%), scholars (20.3%), and social workers, listed at the bottom at 10.9%.
73% of the people believe the main reason for the slipping moral standards is the strong pursuit of personal gain, self-interest and neglect of the importance of professional conduct. 52.4% of those surveyed think such a phenomenon is caused by lack of legal regulation and an environment in which the public voice has no influence. 52.3% believe that the entire society’s moral decline is what has caused such unprofessional conduct. 41.9% of the people believe it is because the public has little idea what professional integrity means.
Among all of those surveyed, 82.4% think the worst situation of all is when physicians lose their moral code.
Source: China Youth Online, April 28, 2009
http://zqb.cyol.com/content/2009-04/28/content_2642546.htm