In the past year, 30 percent of U.S. high school students have stolen from a store and 64 percent have cheated on a test, according to a new, large-scale survey.
Cheating on tests, stealing from stores: Teens say it happens all the time
December 1, 2008 at 1:35AM
Educators reacting to the findings questioned suggestions that today's young people are less honest than previous generations, but several agreed that intensified pressures are prompting many students to cut corners.
"The competition is greater, the pressures on kids have increased dramatically," said Mel Riddle of the National Association of Secondary School Principals. "They have opportunities their predecessors didn't have [to cheat]. The temptation is greater."
About the survey: The Josephson Institute, a Los Angeles-based ethics institute, surveyed 29,760 students at 100 randomly selected high schools nationwide, both public and private. All students in the selected schools were given the survey in class; their anonymity was assured.
Stealing: Michael Josephson, the institute's president, said he was most dismayed by the findings about theft. The survey found that 35 percent of boys and 26 percent of girls -- 30 percent overall -- acknowledged stealing from a store within the past year. One-fifth said they stole something from a friend; 23 percent said they stole something from a parent or other relative.
"What is the social cost of that -- not to mention the implication for the next generation of mortgage brokers?" Josephson said. "In a society drenched with cynicism, young people can look at it and say, 'Why shouldn't we? Everyone else does it.' "
Cheating: Cheating in school is rampant and getting worse, the survey found. Sixty-four percent of students said they cheated on a test in the past year, and 38 percent did so two or more times, up from 60 percent and 35 percent in a 2006 survey. Thirty-six percent said they used the Internet to plagiarize an assignment, up from 33 percent in 2004.
Good self-image: Despite such responses, 93 percent of the students said they were satisfied with their own ethics and character, and 77 percent said that "when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know."
A prod to adults: Josephson contends that most Americans are too blasé about ethical shortcomings among young people and in society at large.
"Adults are not taking this very seriously," he said. "The schools are not doing even the most moderate thing. ... There's a pervasive apathy."
He added: "This is not a time to lament and whine but to take thoughtful, positive actions."
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