The Seven Principles of Public Life - ESDS

Figure 1 Most important attributes for national politicians and senior appointed officials
Base: All respondents (1,097)
Should tell the truth
Should not take bribes
Should make sure public money spent wisely
Should be dedicated to doing a good job for the public
Should not use power for own gain
Should be in touch with what the public think important
Should be competent
Should own up when make mistakes
Should explain reasons for actions and decisions
Should set a good example in their private lives
5
3
12
12
11
17
27
28
25
23
34
37
36
40
45
46
43
46
% choosing as one of 3 most important attributes for national politicians
% choosing as one of 3 most important attributes for appointed officials
51
53
(Tables 31 and 78)
In general the results suggest that the priorities of the general public, in terms of the
attributes they look for in public servants, are similar across different groups in the
population. The main exception to this rule concerns private behaviour, which was
considered more important by older respondents and those without educational
qualifications than by other groups, although all sub-groups considered it the least
important of the ten attributes.
4 Perceptions of the behaviour of public office holders
Public perceptions of how national politicians behaved in relation to these same ten
attributes revealed mixed views about the standards of conduct of MPs and government
ministers (Figure 2). While most people believe that overtly corrupt practices such as
accepting bribes are the exception rather than the rule, and the majority credit at least a
reasonable proportion of national politicians with being competent and dedicated to public
service, the public is less charitable in its judgements of the honesty with which politicians
communicate with the public, reflecting the earlier finding on levels of trust.
8 BMRB International Report: Survey of public attitudes towards conduct in public life