This press release made me feel like we have truly become the Roman Empire. Somehow it appears we have raised a generation that believes in success by any means and at any cost -- or at least a significant percentage of this generation if you believe this new research from Junior Achievement and Deloitte:
The majority of teens surveyed (71 percent) say they feel fully prepared to make ethical decisions when they enter the workforce. Yet 38 percent of that group believe it is sometimes necessary to cheat, plagiarize, lie or even behave violently in order to succeed. Nearly one-quarter (24 percent) of all teens surveyed think cheating on a test is acceptable on some level, and more than half of those teens (54 percent) say their personal desire to succeed is the rationale.In a particularly alarming finding given recent cases of school violence, nearly one-quarter (23 percent) of all teens surveyed think violence toward another person is acceptable on some level. Of those who think so, the justifications for violence include settling an argument (27 percent) and revenge (20 percent).
I'm honestly not sure how we got here -- is it rampant consumerism and materialism and the belief that without our 10 cars and MTV-style "crib" we won't be happy? Is it that we have made violence and "torture-tainment" so normal that it seems somehow acceptable? Is it that lying and cheating to get ahead or at least win on reality TV is the new norm? The researchers found that pressure to succeed in school as well as the generation gap around privacy online is contributing to this ethical crisis. More from the press release (they sent an email without a link, of course):
Pressure to succeed in school seems to be driving many teens' opinions that unethical behavior is an acceptable means to an end. Of the teens who think plagiarism is acceptable on some level, 37 percent think a personal desire to succeed is justification -- that number climbs to 51 percent among the students who feel overwhelming pressure to succeed.The survey also found that teens have difficulty in understanding that unethical behavior transcends the boundaries between private life, school or work life, and online behavior. More than a quarter (27 percent) of all teens surveyed said it is not fair for an employer to suspend or fire employees for unethical behavior outside of their jobs and another quarter (26 percent) said they weren't sure if it was fair or not.
Additionally, more than half (57 percent) of all teens surveyed believe it is not fair for employers to make hiring or firing decisions based on material they have posted to the internet and another 19 percent weren't sure if it was fair or not. Illustrating teens' perception of different ethical standards for online versus "real world" behavior, nearly half (47 percent) of teens said it was acceptable on some level to illegally download music without paying for it, but only 5 percent said it was acceptable to steal something from a store.
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The problem is working moms and "I'm your buddy" dads. Kids are left on their on too long and make up their own rules. If moms spent more time with their kids and dads disciplined kids as their children and not treat them as drinking buddies then kids would have more respect for rules and authority.
Posted by: Mario | December 5, 2007 12:24 PM
I wonder if another issue contributing to this trend is parents who teach their children that some unethical behavior is necessary to achieve personal success. Changes in school curriculum may also lead to this. Achieving test results is the focus now, when is there time to have dialog among students and teachers about these issues and reinforce it in curriculum? Schools have a difficult time keeping track of attendance because their offices are under staffed, how can the possibly keep on top of issues like plagiarism?
Posted by: Turtle Lade | December 5, 2007 1:52 PM
Yeah, but let's considered what the difference is between "unethical" and "illegal," and how that weighs in on this survey - especially when the generation being studied has already learned that is is illegal to fire or not hire someone for: their age, their gender, their religion, their personal beliefs, their marital status, their race, their political affiliation... I could go on.
So when they drink and post photos to the net, or someone relates having casual sex with them, or they have a kid out of wedlock, or they politically support a medical marijuana law being passed.... yeah, naturally, they don't think that employers should be able to use this against them. These things are all legal, whether or not you think they're ethical is up to you.
The plagiarism I'll chalk up to a combination of student laziness, administrative laziness (the president of my high school's National Honor Society was also voted Class Homework Copier), and giving students more work than they can handle.
Posted by: Kristen O | December 5, 2007 5:42 PM
Mario, you so don't even merit a comment, much less a dis. But I feel sorry for the women in your life.
Posted by: Meredith | December 6, 2007 7:06 AM
There are so many reasons for this, how can we easily point fingers at any one entity (parents, school, etc.). For any entity one could point at, I could make a valid defense for them, as well as argue the other side. It could even be argued that we're all to blame, including the church (I'm speaking primarily of the Christian church, as that's what I belong to, but other readers may want to put in their own religion) and media. So, now, what are we going to do about it, and how? How can we teach teens - or younger - whether something is wrong, and why? What's the method, and the standard that we should use? These are questions worth discussing, though I've found that comment sections on blog posts are a difficult way to do so.
Posted by: Paul Loeffler | December 6, 2007 1:52 PM
i am happy to see these results. this teaches me to never lie or cheat!!
Posted by: good girl | February 7, 2008 3:46 PM