Just 17% of adult Americans believe the accounting profession has ‘very great prestige’, lower than entertainers, and tied with bankers, with the majority - two-fifths - saying the profession had 'some prestige.

In comparision more than half of those polled by research group Harris, said the jobs of firefighters, doctors, nurses and scientists have ‘very great prestige’.

Less than a third said accountants has ‘considerable prestige’ while a little over one in ten, believe the profession has ‘hardly any prestige at all’.

The 2006 poll surveyed more than 1,000 people, asking for their perceptions of 23 occupations.