By Cheryl Lim

FIREFIGHTERS inspire the greatest trust in Singaporeans.

This is what a survey conducted by Reader's Digest Singapore showed.

Firefighter tops the list of 40 vocations chosen by Reader's Digest.

The other occupations in the top 10, in descending order, are doctor, judge, teacher, surgeon, pilot, paramedic, nurse, pharmacist and dentist.

Meanwhile, out of 55 Singapore personalities listed, Singaporeans chose Chief Justice Chan Sek Keong as the most trustworthy. Paraplegic neuroscientist and wheelchair athlete William Tan came in second.

Others in the top 10 include former commissioner of the Singapore Police Force Khoo Boon Hui and National Neuroscience Institute director Lee Wei Ling.

The survey polled 760 Singaporeans or permanent residents aged 20 and above, all of whom belong to a household with an income in the top 50th percentile.

Reader's Digest Asia editor Dora Cheok said the results showed that Singaporeans have a good opinion of our "public institutions" and respect the "roles in traditional institutions", referring to how firefighter and judge occupy the top place in both trust rankings.

The survey here follows similar ones in Australia - the first to be surveyed five years ago - and Canada. Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines are polled for the first time this year.

Ms Cheok added that Singaporeans tend to favour "traditional" occupations, referring to how half of the top 10 trusted personalities were civil servants.

"This is different from the results in Malaysia and the Philippines, where entertainers and sports personalities are in the top place," she said.

Host and actor Gurmit Singh managed to slip into the 10th place as the sole entertainer in the top 10 placings.

Mr Donald Ferrin, associate professor of organisational behaviour at Singapore Management University, said: "It's universal that people tend to trust firefighters a lot. What they do is save people from disasters. Their profession is geared towards protecting public welfare and citizens."

Dr William Tan said that he "appreciates" that people trusted him.

He said: "I am the same person all the time, to the media or my friends. Great men have fallen to temptations and distractions. All it takes in a misstep.

"Recently, someone overpaid me $10. I found out when I got home and I went out again to return the money. I believe in living a life according to values, such as trustworthiness and integrity."

cheryll@sph.com.sg

WHO ELSE DOES SINGAPORE TRUST?

Top 10 most trusted people

1 Chan Sek Keong (Chief Justice)
2 William Tan (wheelchair athlete and charity fund-raiser)
3 Tommy Koh (Ambassador-at-large)
4 Khoo Boon Hui (former Singapore Police Force commissioner )
5 Lee Wei Ling (director and senior consultant of the National Neuroscience Institute)
6 Chan Heng Chee (ambassador to the United States)
7 Sim Wong Hoo (CEO of Creative Technologies)
7 Deirdre Moss (executive officer of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)
9 Catherine Lim (author)
10 Gurmit Singh (actor)
10 Olivia Lum (CEO of Hyflux)

Top 10 most trusted jobs
1 Firefighter
2 Doctor
3 Judge
4 Teacher
5 Surgeon
6 Pilot
7 Paramedic
8 Nurse
9 Pharmacist
10 Dentist

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