Survey shows many teens lie, cheat and steal their way through high school

By Allan Hoffman
Six & Nightside Edition Anchor
Published: December 3, 2008

A survey of 30,000 teens by the Josephson Institute reveals troubling new statistics about the honesty of high school teenagers.
 
The incidence of stealing, lying and cheating have climbed to an alarming rate this year.
       
Thirty-five percent of boys said they had shop lifted over the last year, and 26 percent of girls admit to it.

One out of four teens say they have stolen something from a parent. One out of five have taken something from a friend. Again boys do it more than girls.

And when it comes to lying, the survey shows teens have no compunction about it. Nearly half said they lied to save money, and 83 percent say they’ve lied to a parent about something significant.

When it comes to school work, 64 percent admitted cheating on a test. A third of those said they did it more than once.

About one in three used the internet to plagiarize an assignment.

The survey also found, more students in private religious schools admit to lying than teens in public schools.

In fact, one out of four teens admitted to lying about one or more questions on the survey.
 
Even with all of that, 93 percent say they are satisfied with their personal ethics and character.

The question is, why do our teens lie, cheat and steal more today?
   
Well, some educators believe today’s teens are reacting to intense pressures to achieve and that causes them to cut corners.
   
Others, including the president of the institute that performed the survey, say the increase in these numbers is more likely the reflection of a cynical society.