Nearly three-quarters of people questioned in a new poll believe politicians cannot be trusted to tell the truth. Seven out of 10 people believe that government ministers are prone to lying.

But ministers' "truth ratings" appear to have gone up since Labour came to power.

In April 1997, a month before the general election, 80% of people thought ministers did not tell the truth. It was the only time in six years that journalists moved off the bottom spot.

Dissatisfaction with ministers

But 39% of the public are still dissatisfied with the performance of government ministers, with just 33% saying they are happy with the way they do their jobs.

Nurses got a strong approval rating

Journalists score even lower, with 79% of the public not believing what they read in the papers.

Only 15% of people think journalists tell the truth - with politicians and ministers attracting a slightly higher 23%.

Most other professions - including television news readers, the police, university professors and teachers - are credited with telling the truth by more than half of those polled.

The "man in the street" is believed by 60% of the public, according to the Mori poll of more than 2,000 people.

Doctors are perceived to be the most truthful - with 91% of people believing what their GP tells them.

Satisfaction with GPs

The same percentage of the public say they are satisfied with the way doctors do their jobs.

More people trust their doctors now than six years ago, when 84% thought the medical profession told the truth.

The British Medical Association commissioned the poll amid fears that the cases of gynaecologist Rodney Ledward and the Bristol heart babies scandal, had dented the public's trust in doctors.

But 43% of those polled said they thought doctors believed they were "above" their patients and 48% thought only an appointment with a hospital consultant could ensure the best treatment.