Poll: Chinese Prostitutes More Trusted Than Government

The world's oldest profession gets some unusual respect in China, according to a new survey:

Prostitutes in China are considered more trustworthy than government officials, according to an online survey conducted by Insight China magazine. A total of 7.9% of the 3,376 participants in the survey said sex industry workers are trustworthy, putting them at third in the rankings after farmers and religious workers, AFP reported. Soldiers and students came in fourth and fifth respectively, while state-owned newspaper China Daily said on Tuesday that scientists and teachers ranked "way below, and that government functionaries, too, scored hardly better."

Perhaps not surprisingly, the only photos AP was returning with the search word "prostitute" were pictures of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.