Can a Person Be Ethical and Successful?

Report on Ethics of American Youth

The results of the 2006 Josephson Institute Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth addressing Integrity are in. The biennial survey, most recently taken in Spring 2006, reflects young people's attitudes about ethics, character, and trust.

The 2006 survey found that young people are almost unanimous in saying that ethics and character are important on both a personal level and in business, but they express cynical attitudes about whether a person can be ethical and succeed.

Here are some positive notes from the survey:

• 98% believe that "honesty and trust are essential in personal relationships"
  
  
• 94% said that "In business and the workplace, trust and honesty are essential"
  
  
• 89% agree that "Being a good person is more important than being rich"
  
  
• 82% say that "most adults in my life consistently set a good example of ethics and character"
  
  
• 92% say they are "satisfied with my own ethics and character"

Here are some negative notes from the survey:

• 59% agreed that, "In the real world, successful people do what they have to do to win, even if others consider it cheating"
  
  
• 42% believe that "A person has to lie or cheat sometimes in order to succeed"
  
  
• 82% admit they lied to parent within the past 12 months about something significant

Read more about the survey at the Josephson Institute of Ethics Web site. 

Related Link

Do the Right Thing - An NEA Web area for educators promoting thoughtful, respectful behavior.