Who we are, where we come from, and some of our perceptions: comparison of social workers and the general population.

Essentially nothing is known about the national population of social workers. Accordingly, to enhance our understanding of the individuals who make up the social work profession, this study used nationally representative data to compare the characteristics of graduate- and bachelor's-level workers with those of the general population. Data are provided on present and childhood demographics as well as a number of current perceptions. In terms of perceptions, social workers were more likely to rate their lives as exciting, to live in racially mixed neighborhoods, to be stronger proponents of controversial speech, and to be perceived by survey interviewers as friendlier than the general public. A number of suggestions for further research are provided to flesh out the initial findings presented in this article.