About the survey

Q. What began the interest in surveying the morals of high-school students as opposed to those of adults?
A. It started 15 years ago when the institute formed. Its principal target was adults in the workplace, but we realized that people coming into the work force were the ones (whose ethical views) were not well documented.
Q. In your opinion, why do high school students have such a large problem with lying, cheating and stealing?
A. Well, all kids try to test their limits. That's just one of the phases of development. Kids feel that, to compete to get into good colleges or universities, they have no choice. I see the problem in parents and really all adults.
Teachers feel pressure from the school boards who feel pressure from the parents whose kids are the ones cheating. Since the teachers get no support, they cannot enforce a serious punishment.
Q. What type of national response do you expect to come from your report?
A. I don't know. Usually, America waits until a crisis becomes a public crisis and I think this issue will not be any different.
Q. How do you expect teenagers to react to your survey?
A. I think students will step up, either through student council or other ways, and try to force changes. The kids that do not cheat really get the short end of the stick, and they should be upset when they hear the results. Those are the ones who should stand up and insist that changes be made.
XTom DeCair, a spokesman for the Josephson Institute in California, answered questions about the study showing a steady decline in the ethical behavior of teens.