OF3-12/05/07 8:25 AM TEENS AND THEIR ETHICS.
The Osgood File. I'm Charles Osgood.
For the last five years the auditing, tax consulting and financial advising firm of Deloitte and Touche - together with Junior Achievement - does a national survey of teenagers to find out whether they feel prepared to make ethical decisions when they enter the work force. The results of the latest poll are disturbing.
SOT - Ainar Aijala with Deloitte & Touche
"Seventy-one percent feel they're ethically prepared to make decisions. But a third of those believe that even though they think they're ethically prepared to make decisions, it's necessary sometimes to break the rules - and cheat, steal or behave violently."
There's always pressure to succeed at work, as there is at school. And this latest poll suggests many American teens are willing to cheat if that's what it takes to succeed.
SOT - Ainar Aijala
"For those that think that cheating is acceptable sometimes, 54 percent think a personal desire to succeed in school is justification. That number goes up to 66 percent if they feel an overwhelming desire to succeed."
Does that bother you? It bothers me! It bothers David Miller, ethics Professor at Yale. He says, "It suggests an attitude of ethicaol relativism and rationalization of whatever actions serve ones immediate needs and purposes."
And when it comes to violence, there's little comfort about that in the survey, either.
SOT - Ainar Aijala
"Seventy-seven percent feel that it's okay to behave violently to defend them selves, twenty-seven percent to settle an argument, twenty percent for revenge."
What are today's teenagers impressions about ethical role models of the grown-up world of today? Mr. Aijala.
SOT - Ainar Aijala
"Sixty-four percent think that politicians are unethical, and professional athletes --- 41 percent."
Aijala himself finds all this quite disturbing.
SOT - Ainar Aijala
"The most disturbing thing is that these are the future leaders of our country. I mean, these are the people that are going to be future parents. They're going to be future employees - running companies, in politics."
The Osgood File. Transcripts, podcasts and Mp3s of these broadcasts are available at theosgoodfile.com. I'm Charles Osgood on the CBS Radio Network.
The Osgood File. December 5th, 2007. |
|
|
