Is Your Kid A Cheater & A Thief? Survey Says They Probably Are

The Josephson Institute, a Los Angeles- based ethics institute surveyed over 29,000 teenagers and found that in the last year 30% of U.S. high school students have stolen from a store and 64% have cheated on a test, the Associated Press reports.

Over 100 high schools were randomly selected nationwide, both public and private. All students in the selected schools were given the survey in class; their anonymity was assured.

The survey found that 35% of boys and 26% of girls — 30% overall — acknowledged stealing from a store within the past year. One-fifth said they stole something from a friend; 23% said they stole something from a parent or other relative.

Cheating in school is rampant and getting worse the survey found. Sixty-four percent of students cheated on a test in the past year and 38% did so two or more times, up from 60% and 35% in a 2006 survey. Thirty-six percent said they used the Internet to plagiarize an assignment, up from 33% in 2004. Forty-two percent said they sometimes lie to save money — 49% of the boys and 36% of the girls.

Despite the responses, 93% of the students said they were satisfied with their personal ethics and character, and 77% affirmed that “when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know.” ❖