Young people believe they’re ready to solve ethical dilemmas in their work careers, but 38 percent think lying, cheating, plagiarizing and occasionally violence may be necessary to do well, according to a poll by Harris Interactive.
Twenty-three percent of students between the ages of 13 and 18 polled said they think violence toward another person is acceptable on some level, giving settling an argument and revenge as justifications for doing so. Twenty-four percent also believe cheating on a test is acceptable, saying wanting to succeed would be their rationale.
Also, 27 percent of the teens surveyed said it isn’t fair for employers to suspend or fire workers if they do something unethical on their own time, while another 26 percent said they weren’t sure if it was fair or not.
Other findings were 57 percent believe employers shouldn’t make hiring or firing decisions based on Internet postings by workers; 47 percent said downloading music without paying was acceptable and five percent said it was OK to steal from a store.
