A study of the nature and degree of patients' possible acceptance of nurses and physicians' assistants in the performance of tasks usually carried out by physicians indicates a considerable difference in acceptability between an upper middle class community and a lower middle and working class community. The upper middle class community more readily accepted their physician's use of assistants and nurses when compared with the lower middle and working class community. These findings emphasize the importance of possible differences in outcomes when new professional roles are used in various settings.