FAR Literature Review: Professional Skepticism and Audit Committee Support

Professional skepticism is essential to audit quality, and enhancing auditor skepticism is of great concern to regulators, practitioners, and scholars. However, despite the acknowledged importance of professional skepticism, auditors’ failure to exercise a sufficient level of skepticism continues to be a globally recognized issue. Prior research has shown that exercising skepticism may come at a cost (e.g., budget overruns and potential conflicts with management), which can form a substantial barrier to the appropriate application of skepticism.