As others see us: Differing perceptions of public relations in Nigeria among practitioners and the general public

•Perception of members of the public and public relations professionals on the image of PR in Nigeria was investigated.•Both the public and professionals perceive PR messages as credible.•Only members of the public perceive that PR professionals are more loyal to their employers and clients than they are to the public interest.•Unlike professionals, the public perceive the role of PR more as media relations practice.•Only members of the public perceive that PR exists mainly for image reparation.

This study investigates the extent to which there exists a relationship between the perception of professionals and members of the general public regarding image of public relations (PR) profession in Nigeria. Four operational hypotheses were tested using Chi-square cross tabulation. The result shows that members of the general public and professionals perceived PR messages as credible. However, members of the general public, unlike professionals, perceived the loyalty of PR professionals to be more on the side of employers and clients; the role of PR was perceived as basically oriented towards media relations; and PR profession was perceived more as a tool for repairing damaged organisational image. Appropriate recommendations are offered.