Chief executive salaries of $600,000 and above are viewed as unethical by the majority of Australians, according to a new survey that highlights the yawning gap between public expectations and reality on executive pay.

The same survey also shows public concerns about ethical failings in finance have only marginally faded in the past year, despite banks' attempts to rebuild customer trust, and a series of government policy changes.

Politicians and even some business leaders have criticised the pay enjoyed by top executives in the past year, and a new survey sought the views of a broad spectrum of 1000 Australians on the issue.

The survey, from the Governance Institute of Australia, found 55 per cent of respondents thought a salary of $600,000 a year was unethical for a chief executive running a company with more than 1000 staff.