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12.06.2006 - 09:00am ET
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Survey: Teens Feel Intense Pressure to Succeed -- Even if it Means Cutting Ethical Corners
2006 Junior Achievement/Deloitte Teen Ethics Survey shows girls feel the strain more than boys; students also take dim view of each other's behavior
(CSRwire) Colorado Springs, CO, December 6, 2006. - Young people are feeling
strong pressure to succeed in school, no matter the cost, a new survey has
found. More than two out of five teens (44 percent) say they feel either a
lot or overwhelming pressure to succeed in school, no matter the cost. And
more girls than boys feel this heavy burden to succeed. Those are among
the findings of the fourth annual "Teen Ethics Poll" released today by JA
Worldwide™ (Junior Achievement) and Deloitte & Touche USA LLP
(Deloitte).
The survey, designed to take the ethical pulse of teens aged 13 to 18,
found a notable gender gap among those who reported "a lot" or
"overwhelming" pressure to succeed in school at any cost: fully half of
the girls (50 percent) - but only 38 percent of the boys - felt this
burden to do well in school. Teens also hold a dim view on the ethics of
their peers. Many (44 percent) say high school students behave
unethically, placing them, in their eyes, below doctors, teachers,
professional athletes and business leaders.
"These survey results underscore that it is critical to educate and
prepare the next generation to make ethical decisions - even during the
most stressful, pressure-filled situations," says Jim Quigley, CEO of
Deloitte & Touche USA LLP. "The business community has seen how ignoring
ethical responsibilities can lead to devastating results. All of us in
business owe it to the next generation to teach, model and support ethical
standards every step of the way."
The survey also raised an apparent discrepancy between how students define
ethical behavior and what constitutes such behavior:
In a seemingly positive trend, the percentage of students who say
they would not act unethically to get ahead or make more money, even if
they knew for sure they would not get caught (59 percent), has increased
by 40 percent since 2003.
However, this is juxtaposed against the fact that many teens admitted
they had personally engaged in unethical behavior in the last year by lying
(69 percent), downloading a song without paying (34 percent), and cheating
on tests (22 percent).
Eight in ten (81 percent) students who feel significant pressure to
succeed, no matter the cost, think it's going to remain the same or get
worse when they join the workforce. And more than a quarter (29 percent)
of all teens believe they are currently only somewhat or not at all
prepared to make ethical decisions. "We have to take it seriously when
students who are under so much stress tell us they think it's not going to
get any better, especially if they don't feel prepared to make the right
calls," said Ainar D. Aijala, Jr., vice chairman and deputy chief
executive officer of Deloitte Consulting LLP and chairman of the board of
JA Worldwide.
Experts agree that these results raise a red flag. "The notion that large
numbers of students feel somewhat unprepared to make ethical decisions,
coupled with the fact that they feel pressure to succeed at all costs, is
a troubling combination," said David Miller Ph.D., Executive Director of
the Yale Center for Faith and Culture and Assistant Professor (Adjunct) of
Business Ethics. "We are reminded that community and corporate leaders can
play a pivotal role in helping prepare students to recognize and resist
the inevitable ethical dilemmas they will face later in life."
These results suggest a profound need for training in ethical
decision-making.
JA Worldwide and Deloitte are collaborating on a multi-faceted educational
program, which can be delivered as early as the fourth grade, to help
students learn to make ethical decisions and alleviate the pressure to
behave unethically. The "Excellence through Ethics" program includes
classroom lessons that teach the value of ethical behavior, a $5,000
college scholarship essay contest which requires high school seniors to
demonstrate their ability to apply ethical decision-making to real-life
situations, expansion to the U.S. of an existing Global Ethics Challenge,
and implementation grants for U.S. Junior Achievement offices which use
the program. The program is being underwritten by Deloitte, which has
committed $2 million to the JA Worldwide ethics program.
"The results of this poll clearly demonstrate the ongoing need to give
young people tools they can use to help them make ethical decisions when
faced with a difficult situation," said David S. Chernow, president and
chief executive officer of JA Worldwide. "JA Worldwide continually
strives to help prepare young people to enter the workforce by teaching
them skills that prospective employers will value, such as strong
interpersonal skills, leadership, and decision-making. We feel that a
strong sense of ethical behavior is just as valuable in the workplace and
in life, and we're proud to join with Deloitte to help deliver this vital
information to our young people."
The 2006 "Teen Ethics Poll" was commissioned by Junior Achievement and
Deloitte and conducted by Harris Interactive during September 2006; 787
students between the ages of 13 and 18 participated.
Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris
Interactive® on behalf of Junior Achievement and Deloitte between
September 13 to September 21, 2006 among 787 teens ages 13-18. Figures
for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, parental education, and region
were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual
proportions in the population.
With a pure probability sample of 787 one could say with a ninety-five
percent probability that the overall results have a sampling error of +/-3
percentage points. Sampling error for data based on sub-samples may be
higher and may vary. However, this does not take other sources of error
into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and
therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
These statements conform to the principles of disclosure of the
National Council on Public Polls.
About JA Worldwide™ (Junior Achievement)
JA Worldwide is the world's largest organization dedicated to inspiring
and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy. Through a
dedicated volunteer network, JA Worldwide provides in-school and
after-school programs for students in grades K-12. JA Worldwide offers
educational programs that focus on seven key content areas: business,
citizenship, economics, entrepreneurship, ethics/character, financial
literacy, and career development. Today, 139 individual area operations
reach approximately four million students in the United States, with more
than 3.5 million students served by operations in 100 countries worldwide.
For more information, visit
www.ja.org.
About Deloitte
Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, a Swiss
Verein, its member firms, and their respective subsidiaries and
affiliates. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu is an organization of member firms
around the world devoted to excellence in providing professional services
and advice, focused on client service through a global strategy executed
locally in nearly 140 countries. With access to the deep intellectual
capital of approximately 135,000 people worldwide, Deloitte delivers
services in four professional areas--audit, tax, consulting and financial
advisory services--and serves more than 80 percent of the world's largest
companies, as well as large national enterprises, public institutions,
locally important clients, and successful, fast-growing global growth
companies. Services are not provided by the Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
Verein, and, for regulatory and other reasons, certain member firms do not
provide services in all four professional areas.
As a Swiss Verein (association), neither Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu nor any
of its member firms has any liability for each other's acts or omissions.
Each of the member firms is a separate and independent legal entity
operating under the names "Deloitte," "Deloitte & Touche," "Deloitte
Touche Tohmatsu," or other related names.
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is the 12th largest and fastest-growing market research
firm in the world. The company provides research-driven insights and
strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which
lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris
Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest
running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market
research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world's
largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris
Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and
Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiary Novatris in France and through a
global network of independent market research firms. The service bureau,
HISB, provides its market research industry clients with mixed-mode data
collection, panel development services as well as syndicated and tracking
research consultation. More information about Harris Interactive may be
obtained at
www.harrisinteractive.com.
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