British people have become less honest in the last decade, according to a study suggesting moral decline.
John Bingham in the Telegraph
25 Jan 2012
Lying, adultery, drug taking, breaking the speed limit, drink-driving, and handling stolen goods are all seen as more acceptable than they were at the turn of the century, it suggests.
Disapproval of so-called “low level dishonesty” has increased irrespective of social class, income level or education, according to research by Essex University.
Integrity levels were slightly higher among women than men but the most significant variation was by age with noticeably higher tolerance of dishonesty among the young.
The report’s authors warned that it signalled a possible future “integrity crisis”.
Researchers at the university’s new centre for the study of integrity asked a sample of the population whether they thought deeds ranging from exceeding the speed limit to or failing to report minor damage to a parked car to knowingly buying stolen goods.
Other categories included avoiding paying for public transport, keeping money found in the street and throwing litter.
They were asked to rate their approval on a four-point scale with one as “never Justified” to four as “always justified”.
Responses were then compared with a similar study completed in 2000.
The findings, published today in The Independent, show higher tolerance levels for all the activities listed except benefit fraud.
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