Doctors in the UAE have the best reputations and credit card companies have the worst among professions and occupational groups, with IFAs voted 7th worst, same as last year, according to Insight Discovery's latest annual survey annual reputation research study, which was conducted in association with HAYAH, a digital insurance provider in the UAE.

This was the first time in six years the survey asked UAE residents to rank five professions or occupational groups that have the best reputations, having previously focused on finding out which professions have the worst reputations in the UAE, with recruiters, estate agents, telemarketers and credit card companies consistently rated the worst culprits.

Doctors were ranked first by 44% of the respondents. Engineers and teachers were ranked first by 12% and 9% of respondents, respectively. The others who top the list are artists/ entertainers (8%), entrepreneurs, pilots and police (6% each)

In terms of weighted sum scores*, which takes into account where professions are ranked from first to fifth place, doctors still have the best reputation. Their score was 23%, against 13% for both engineers and teachers.

As for the worst reputations, credit card companies were ranked first by 21% of respondents. The corresponding figures for telemarketers/call centres and social media influencers were 15% and 14% respectively. The other professions which ranked poorly were advisers from banks (12%), recruitment companies and real estate companies (9% each) and independent financial advisers (7%)

The weighted sum scores for the top three professions with the worst reputation were the same at 14%.

In previous years, the groups with the worst reputations have typically been recruitment companies, credit card companies and telemarketers/call centres. Independent financial advisory (IFAs) firms were ranked seventh in 2024, which is the same as in 2023 (7) and better than in 2022.

Nigel Sillitoe, chief executive officer of survey co-sponsor Insight Discovery said: "For the first time we also asked UAE residents which professions had the best reputations; doctors, engineers and teachers came out top. Those with the worst reputations saw quite a few changes, for once it wasn’t recruitment companies, instead it was credit card companies, telemarketers, who will now face hefty fines if they breach new regulations and social media influencers; estate agents also continue to face challenges. There are clear signs that, across the entire services sector of the UAE, many organisations have really lifted their games in terms of reputation management"

Observes Mohamed Seghir, CEO of HAYAH, which is a co-sponsor of the survey this year said: "Qualified professionals who are subject to official licensing are well regarded. The high esteem in which doctors, engineers and teachers are held show that the regulatory systems in the UAE are effective and are widely seen as being as such. It will be interesting to see what are the changes over time in perceptions of other groups."

1,048 UAE residents participated in the survey and these respondents were asked to identify the five professions that have the best and worst reputations in the UAE.

Weighted sum scores are calculated by multiplying 5 points to rank one, 4 to rank two, 3 to rank three, 2 to rank four and 1 to rank five: then, the numbers are added.