u.s. politicians
Lobbyists and members of Congress have been rated as the least honest and ethical professionals in the United States.
Lobbyists and members of Congress have been rated as the least honest and ethical professionals in the United States, according to a new survey.

A Gallup poll published on Monday showed that only 6 percent of Americans rate lobbyists as having "high" or "very high" honesty and ethical standards. In fact, lobbyists earned the lowest place out of the 22 professions on the poll.

The abysmal ranking for lobbyists is not much of a surprise since 7 out of every 10 Americans believe lobbyists have too much power in the US, according to another Gallup poll conducted in April.

US lawmakers were the next in the worst ratings with only 8 percent of people saying their representatives in Congress have high ethical standards.

Down from 9 percent in November, members of Congress continue to fail to impress the public.

Americans' low evaluations of Congress appear to be a "new normal," with average ratings below 20 percent in each of the last four years, including an average approval of 14 percent in 2013 -- the lowest in Gallup's 39-year history of this measure.

According to a McClatchy-Marist poll released on Tuesday, a plurality of Americans, 38 percent, would grade all Washington officials with an F. Another 31 percent would give them a D, and 25 percent would give them a C.

Only 1 percent of the public, well inside the margin of error, would grade their elected officials with an A, the survey found.

More Americans also disapprove of President Barack Obama's job performance than ever before, according to a joint NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll released last week. The poll indicated that 54 percent of respondents are either disappointed or dissatisfied with Obama's presidency.

The results show a continued public distrust with politicians and government that has developed in the US in the past 40 to 50 years, the report said.