German insurance agents rank lowest in public esteem

A July 2026 citizen survey conducted by the DBB Beamtenbund und Tarifunion and the Forsa research institute shows that insurance agents in Germany occupy the bottom position in the public‑esteem ranking of professions. Only 6 % of respondents assign the occupation a “high” or “very high” level of respect, down from 7 % the previous year and well below politicians (7 %) and telecom workers (12 %).

Firefighters lead the list with 94 % high esteem, followed by nurses (91 %) and elder‑care workers (88 %). The poor image of insurance agents is a persistent trend, echoed in earlier DBB surveys and comparable studies across other Western industrial nations.