The building and carpentry trades have come out poorly in a survey of the public’s trust in tradespeople.
Builders and roofers were viewed as the least trusted trades by 21% of people, behind car salespeople – which nearly half of respondents voted as deserving the least trust.
Just 4% of the public considered joinery and carpentry as the most trusted trade.
Seventy-one per cent said they would be more likely to trust a tradesperson who had a dedicated landline rather than a mobile telephone, while 51% said they would place more trust in someone with a business email address rather than a freemail email address.
The majority (63%) said they were more likely to trust a member of a professional body or association.
Occupational psychologist Chris Lewis said the survey revealed three things traders could do to boost public trust levels – verification of services through professional membership and references, reliable contactability and branding/advertising.
The survey was undertaken by ICM on behalf of internet services provider Gradwell.
