The survey also showed the incumbent mayor to be the candidate most trusted on crime, the economy and policing, indicating he had earned credibility in running the city.
It also allows those candidates to play a recklessly disruptive role in elections without themselves having earned credibility at the ballot box or through other forms of civic accomplishment.
And, unfortunately, there is nothing more important in difficult times than having earned credibility with your cap table.
In a message to his European counterparts, Mr Cameron argued his government's efforts to tackle its deficit had "earned credibility and got (the UK) ahead of the markets", and eurozone leaders should now take similarly decisive action.
It is helped in this, says David Fleischer, a politics professor at the University of Brasília, by the fact that it has earned a credibility that prevents its decisions from being easily challenged.
Archie Norman, who helped to lift Asda off its knees in the 1990s and has earned more credibility subsequently in Australia, might be the most popular pick among investors.
The American team's impressive showing in the World Cup has earned it credibility; the ratings for all United States games were Univision's highest among the 32 teams in competition, Downs said, except for matches played by Mexico.
But critics say the government is still putting too much faith in a device that has earned little scientific credibility.
His longevity has earned him a new credibility: Sir Cliff recently graced a special Q magazine edition celebrating 50 years of the best of British music.
Now that Hyundai has earned consumer respect and credibility, it doesn't need eye-popping specifications to grab attention.
The deficit is down by a third, a million and a quarter new private sector jobs have been created and because of the credibility the government has earned, families and businesses are benefiting from near-record low interest rates".
