BC Residents Weigh in on the Professions and Organization

In the public opinion survey conducted in May, 865 BC residents weighed in on questions about the engineering and geoscience professions, as well as Engineers and Geoscientists BC.

Understanding the Professions

For awareness and understanding of the professions, 68 percent indicated they were very or somewhat familiar with the role of an engineer. The top responses to the question “what do engineers do” were: creating, designing, and developing; calculating safety norms; adhering to codes; and the design of structures. Respondents also acknowledged that work varies depending on the type of engineering.

For geoscience, 31 percent said they knew what geoscientists did. Most respondents cited geology and the study of the earth as specific roles for geoscientists; other top mentions included studying rock and soil samples, evaluating ground stability for safety purposes, and evaluating risk of land use.

When it comes to trust in the professions, 90 percent said they had a great deal or fair amount of trust in engineers, up from 85 percent three years ago. For geoscientists, 60 percent responded they had a great deal or fair amount of trust, an increase from 55 percent in the previous survey.

Understanding Engineers and Geoscientists BC

While public awareness of Engineers and Geoscientists BC is up two percent, it still remains low, at 24 percent, reflecting an overall lower level of awareness of the role of a regulator in general. Of those who had heard of the organization, 36 percent correctly identified Engineers and Geoscientists BC as a regulatory body or mentioned a regulatory role, down from 52 percent in 2021. A total of 47 percent incorrectly believed the organization described job duties for engineers and geoscientists, indicating more work is needed to clarify Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s role for the public.

Still, 80 percent of those surveyed agreed that the professions needed regulation and oversight, and 83 percent had a great deal or fair amount of trust in Engineers and Geoscientists BC to regulate and act professionally, ethically and accountably.

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