Business Leaders Understand The Role & Value Of Public Relations.

Fortune 1000 business leaders place more trust in and assign more value to public relations than the American public in general and those who advise members of Congress, but all three groups acknowledge the important role public relations professionals play in facilitating the flow of information in society, according to a new survey developed jointly by Harris Interactive® and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Foundation.

The national survey titled Executive, Congressional and Consumer Attitudes Toward Media, Marketing and the Public Relations Profession compares and contrasts attitudes about media, marketing and the public relations industry among three distinct groups: Fortune 1000 executives, congressional staff members and general consumers age 18 and over.

Among those surveyed, 84 percent of business executives and congressional staffers and 71 percent of general consumers agree that people who work in public relations raise awareness about important issues that the public might not otherwise know about. In addition, majorities of business leaders (81%), general consumers (71%) and Capitol Hill staffers (75%) agree that public relations professionals help get the media to address issues that would otherwise fail to get the attention they deserve.

“The good news is that business leaders we surveyed realize the value that public relations brings to the decision-making table,” said Judith T. Phair, president and CEO of the Public Relations Society of America. “More challenging to the public relations profession is that it shows there may be some misunderstanding about what we do and how we do it.”

The survey found that general consumers and congressional respondents are more likely than business executives to agree that public relations professionals may sometimes take advantage of the media to present misleading information that is favorable to their clients (85% of consumers and staffers vs. 67% of executives agree) and that they are only interested in disseminating information that helps their clients make money (79% of consumers and staffers vs. 60% of executives agree). These two groups are also less likely than executives to agree that public relations people help their clients’ present fair and balanced information to the public (55% of congressional staffers and 56% of consumers vs. 71% of executives agree).

“Clearly we’ve got our work cut out for us in building greater credibility for the profession among the general consumer and on Capitol Hill,” said Phair. “While it’s a very good sign that executives understand how public relations contribute to corporate and organizational success, we need to ensure that consumers understand that the vast majority of public relations professionals have the public’s best interest in mind.”

To view charts CLICK above on ‘More Images’.

For more information at http://media.prsa.org