Market research firm Ipsos asked people aged between 16-74 from 22 countries to rank 18 professions - including lawyers, priests and bankers - based on their perceived trustworthiness.

The survey of 19,587 people found scientists and doctors were the most-trusted professions, while politicians and government ministers were the least-favoured.

But in Australia, pollsters and advertising executives edged out politicians for the bottom spot, with under 10 per cent of participants ranking them as trustworthy.

Following the global trends, Australia ranked scientists, doctors and teachers as the three most-trusted professions, with more than 60 per cent giving them a positive score.

Fewer than a quarter of Australians gave journalists, bankers, business leaders, lawyers, priests, civil servants, judges and television newsreaders the trustworthy tick of approval.

In particular, priests and journalists came under pressure as being the least trusted of the group, with more than 40 per cent of survey participants giving them a negative score.

But Australia's armed forces and police ranked higher than other countries, with the two sitting 15 per cent and 18 per cent above the global trust average respectively.

Australians are also more trusting of each other than the global average and as a whole trust professionals more than they distrust them, the survey, released on Thursday, found

The high levels of trust Australians put in many important professions "is a positive sign that we don't think our society is completely broken", Director of Ipsos Australia, David Elliott, said.

"What is more concerning for us as a society are the low levels of trust in politicians, government ministers, bankers, journalists, clergy/priests and business leaders," he said.

Australian Associated Press