A new survey in Fairfax County finds that as kids get older, they feel better about cheating.
The Fairfax County Youth Survey polls the attitudes of minors on a number of issues, ranging from questions on bullying, eating habits, and sexual behavior.
The Washington Examiner reports that in the latest two surveys, questions related to cheating draw more cavalier responses the older kids get.
When presented with the statement, "I think sometimes it is OK to cheat at school," 97 percent of students responded no. But in 8th grade, nearly 20 percent of respondents gave an ambivalent answer. In 12th grade, only 61 percent of kids answered no to the question.
Elsewhere in the survey, kids were givent the statement, "I ignore rules that get in my way." In 6th grade, 84 percent of kids either answered "very false" or "somewhat false." However, among 12th grade respondents, only 60 percent disagreed with the statement.
Another statement dealt with stealing. The survey offered the sentence, "I think it is OK to take something without asking if you can get away with it." Ninety-five percent of 6th graders said no, but only 84 percent of 12th graders disagreed.
Fairfax County administers the Youth Survey on a voluntary basis to students in county public schools, in the 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grades. The County says the survey provides a barometer for children’s values, as well as the community's effectiveness in "fostering healthful choices in our young people."
