Americans See a Lot of Bull on Wall Street

Most in poll give execs low grades for ethics, honesty

By Wesley Oliver, Newser Staff

Posted Feb 27, 2009 4:29 PM CST

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Americans See a Lot of Bull on Wall Street — Among executives, 88% said they blame top executives for a company's success or failure. But 85% of executives gave their own companies good or excellent grades for ethics. (Shutter Stock)

The executives who run Wall Street are bankrupt—at least, morally, say Americans in a new poll. Nearly 60% gave them poor grades for dishonesty and unethical behavior, Reuters reports. Most also blame the executives for Wall Street's mess. “We can’t act like it’s the fault of the system,” a spokesman for poll taker Knights of Columbus told the Florida Times-Union.

“These people don’t have the confidence of the American people," he said. "That’s a problem.” Even lawyers fared better—attracting the ire of just a third of respondents. Pollsters also surveyed business executives, and just 19% blamed themselves for poor leadership during the economic crisis, compared to 58% of Americans.
(More ethics stories.)

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