- Politicians were ranked as least ethical
- Social media companies were poorly viewed by survey participants
- Real estate associations were also ranked poorly
New research has found state politicians are the least trusted in Australia, with federal politicians a close second on the Governance Institute of Australia’s Ethics Index 2022.
Politicians ranked last for ethical behaviour
The top five for least ethical behaviour by occupation were rounded out by real estate agents in third, followed by local politicians, and directors of foreign companies operating in Australia.
The Ethics Index 2022 is in its seventh year, with the research finding Australia’s ethics have “taken a tumble”, falling to a score of 42, down from 45 last year, and a significant fall from 52 in 2020.
“A stabilisation in trust and ethics had been hoped for this year but it was not to be. We are now seeing a distinct downward trend in trust and ethics. Given strong ethics are an indicator of a strong, well-functioning society, this is a major concern and this year’s results must serve as a red flag reminder of the importance of trust and ethics at all levels of our society,” said Governance Institute CEO Megan Motto.
“And as the intensity of a crisis lessens, we begin to interrogate the response. We see the other problems around us in the harsh light of day, such as health advice versus politics, multiple corporate and government scandals, workplace issues such as the return to the office and the ongoing ‘Great Resignation’, plus growing concern on issues such as climate change. As we continue to traverse the ‘new normal’ it seems we are a little less trusting, more cynical and more divided.”
Property industry takes a hit
Real estate agents remain near the bottom of the pile.
Last year, The Property Tribune covered Roy Morgan’s Image of Professions Survey 2021, where real estate agents came third from the bottom for ethics and honesty. Property professionals were only beaten to the bottom by advertising people and car salesmen.
In the Governance Institute of Australia’s survey, real estate agents also made the bottom three.
Ranking occupations by ethical behaviour, real estate agents’ net score was only two behind federal politicians and four points behind state politicians.
Mortgage brokers also made the bottom ten, with a score of 9.
Occupations – ethical behaviour
The Property Tribune’s article last year did note, however, results might need to be taken with a grain of salt:
“Surveys asking people to rank generic professions usually bring out the tired old stereotypes. When selling real estate, no one is forced to use an agent, yet in the vast majority of cases when selling property, owners employ one. When asked, most sellers (sometimes more than 85%) say they were perfectly happy with their agent, and would happily use them again.”
The Property Tribune
Contributor Wouter Jellema also wrote last year on how real estate agents can improve their image and regain the public’s trust.
The old adage that “real estate agents work for the seller or owner” may likely be the reason why buyers and tenants feel hostile towards real estate agents, wrote Mr Jellema.
While many agents work for the best interests of all parties, it may be a few bad apples that spoil it; indeed ensuring the best outcome for all is how one government department trains real estate agents, wrote Mr Jellema.
Social media ranked most unethical
While politicians and parliamentarians were ranked least ethical, Federal and State parliament as an organisation weren’t ranked so lowly, only appearing in the tenth and seventh place.
Organisations – ethical behaviour
For organisations, the survey’s bottom five for ethical behaviour were mostly social media companies, including Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok; payday lenders were also in the mix.
In the Governance Insitute of Australia’s survey, member associations ethical behaviour was also looked at, with real estate ranked stone dead last. Three unions and the Australian Insitute of Company Directors made up the bottom five, according to the survey.
Member associations ethical behaviour
More needs to be done to regain trust
The gap between what Australians believe how ethical something should be and how ethical we think something actually is, is widening. This years score was -37, up from last years -28.
“The wider the gap, the bigger the indication that society is not performing the way we want it to,” Ms Motto said.
Ms Motto said we all have a role to play in finding better balance, whether that’s in the workplace, our neighbourhoods, or the corridors of political power.
“Following two years of poor results, it’s time for an ethical reset for the nation. Organisations must reaffirm their commitment to ethics and creating a positive culture. If culture is not deeply entwined with your overall strategic plan, then there is more work to be done.
“It is essential we are promoting good ethics in organisations, as well as good conduct.”
The index is based on a survey of 1000 people nationally. The research was commissioned and sponsored by the Governance Insitute of Australia and conducted by Ipsos.
