Gallup polls Americans on religion; professional ethics

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    NewsWorks Tonight host Dave Heller sits down for his weekly conversation with Gallup’s Frank Newport to talk about trends in American opinion.

    About three-quarters of Americans identify with a Christian faith, making it by far the dominant religion in this country. Only 5 percent identify with a non-Christian religion. About 20 percent don’t identify with any religion (“nones”). Long term, the big trend has been more “nones” and fewer Protestants.

    Gallup is out with its annual update on the honesty and ethics of professions. There is a battle for the bottom spot — that is, the professions seen as least honest — among lobbyists, telemarketers, members of Congress, and car salespeople.

    The winners? Nurses, who once again are seen as the single most honest profession. Good news for the medical profession — pharmacists and physicians are No. 2 and 3 on the list. Also, the perception that police officers are ethical and honest has rebounded after taking a hit last year. They are now fifth on the list.

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