Engineering is viewed most highly as a career in South Africa, where 47% of the population consider it to be a prestigious career. This is based on the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering ‘Create the Future’ report.

The report surveyed the opinions of 10,000 people outside the engineering profession in 10 economies. Included in this was a question asking which 3 professions people see as the most prestigious.

Lord brown of Madingley, the Chair of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering said:

Two findings in the report stand out. The first is about purpose. The majority of people in the UK and the USA think that engineers are driven by the desire to fulfil a purpose in society, rather than to make a profit… This report suggests that not all countries feel the same way about engineers. I hope that the QEPrize will help to change that.

The second finding which stands out is that stereotypes about engineers are beginning to fall apart. The world no longer looks to engineers just for bridges and buildings, but for improvements to renewable energy technologies and solutions to global healthcare challenges. The majority of countries we surveyed have a gender-neutral view of engineering, while in the world’s largest emerging economies, almost as many women as men say that they are interested in engineering. This bodes well for a future in which diversity of thought and unconventional thinking will be more important than ever.

Following South Africa in second place is fellow BRICS economy, Brazil, where 46% of the population see engineering as a prestigious profession. The top 3 is completed by India, with 37%.

At the bottom of the list we see 3 developed economies – the UK with 13%, Japan with 15% and Germany with 21%.

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Author: Joe Myers is a Digital Content Producer at Formative Content.

Image: Labourers work at a flyover undergoing construction in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad July 2, 2009. REUTERS/Krishnendu Halder