High Schoolers Cheat, Steal, Say Morals A-OK

Almost a third of US high schoolers are thieves and two thirds are cheaters, a new study says. Among nearly 30,000 students surveyed, 64% admitted to cheating on a test, 30% to shoplifting, and 23% to stealing from family. "The competition is greater," said one education official. "The pressures on kids have increased dramatically." The head of the study took it further, saying that "our moral infrastructure is unsound."

The figures are up from a 2006 study, but several educators said today's kids are no worse than those in previous generations. People criticize teenagers "without recognizing that young people aren't making the decisions about what's happening in society," said one school funding advocate. Few of those polled saw a problem either: 77% agreed that "when it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know."
(More high school stories.)