Audit role in today's society: The Portuguese perspective

Abstract

The main goal of this investigation is to study the relationships between society and audit in Portugal, through a methodology based on a questionnaire sent in 2015 to public companies listed in the stock exchange and insurance companies, as well as to financial analysts. For this purpose, a group of 25 questions addressing audit main issues was developed. A five-point Likert scale, followed by an appropriate statistical treatment – percentage, p-value, correlations of Spearman, test of Mann–Whitney, allowed us to discover correlations and statistical associations of strong and moderate intensity. The results suggest that audited financial statements users’ perception regarding the auditors’ independence, the audit report, the audit market, the going concern assumption and the search and disclosure of fraud and illegal acts committed by companies are aligned with the international tendencies.