Brazil is Latin American country with highest confidence level in its professionals

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Ipsos survey was conducted with an international sample of 19,570 adults aged 16 to 74 in most countries, and 18 to 74 in Canada, Malaysia, South Africa, Turkey and the USA.

The survey assessed confidence and distrust in politicians, government ministers, advertising executives, clergy, journalists, bankers, and police officers, among other professions.

The survey found that doctors and scientists were the most trusted professionals among the countries surveyed. Politicians and government ministers are the most distrusted professionals, according to the survey.

The score assigned to each country is calculated as the sum of the confidence scores in all professions, and subtracted from the total distrust scores.

Thus, Brazil is the only Latin American country with positive confidence scores, with 23 points. The ranking is led by Malaysia, with 333 points, followed by India with 275 and Sweden with 264.

The other Latin American countries surveyed in the index show negative figures, i.e., there is greater distrust in the nation’s professions. Colombia has the worst score among the 28 countries where the survey was conducted, with -283; followed by Chile with -220; and Peru at -206. Argentina and Mexico score -206 and -42, respectively.

In global terms, an overall average of 64% of countries rate doctors as trustworthy, followed by scientists, with 61%, and thirdly by teachers, with 55%.

In Colombia, these same professions enjoy greater trust among the people surveyed: doctors and scientists enjoy 58% confidence and teachers have 54% nationwide.

“I am pleased that doctors, scientists and teachers maintain a degree of confidence. Colombia has a diagnosed confidence issue, which is reflected in this survey. Traditionally, Colombia exhibits low levels of confidence, cooperation and social capital. There is a debate about whether this reflects a high level of individualism in Colombian society. I believe it does, and that this is one of the factors holding back development in Colombia,” said  Impacta economic and social consulting foundation chairman Daniel Castellanos about the report.

Confidence in medical and scientific professionals is in stark contrast to that of politicians in general. In Colombia, politicians are the least trusted by the people surveyed: only 4% of the population trusts them and 77% distrusts them.

The same is true for ninisters, with 5% trust and 73% distrust; as well as public servants, with 7% trust and 59% distrust.

“Institutionality is broken. Politicians are the least trusted professionals in the whole world and in Colombia this produces an effect on other types of professions, which unfortunately are linked to the exercise of politics: entrepreneurs, and many other economic sectors are linked to budget allocations which are decided by politicians,” said Estrategia & Poder consulting firm’s manager Carlos Arias.