A new survey of high school students released by the Josephson Institute Center for Youth Ethics offers some revealing information:

• 64 percent cheated on a test in the past year
• 38 percent cheated more than once
• 36 percent used the Internet to plagiarize an assignment

What's more, the results also indicate that a third of respondents think a person has to lie or cheat sometimes in order to get ahead, even as 99 percent agree that trust and honesty are essential in personal relationships.

As bad as this sounds, the institute says in a press release that the truth is probably worse.

"More than one in four (26
percent) confessed they lied on at least one or two questions on the survey. Experts agree that dishonesty on surveys usually is an attempt  to conceal misconduct."

Many education leaders suggest that competition is tougher than before, and pressures often lead teens to act in ways they otherwise might not. But institute founder Michael Josephson finds such responses cynical at best.

"What we need to learn from these survey results is that our moral infrastructure is unsound and in serious need of repair," he told the Associated Press. "This is not a time to lament and whine but to take thoughtful, positive actions."

(Image from TheApple.com)

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