During advisory period today, students discussed the recently released statistics from The Ethics of American Youth survey, administered in March 2012 and created by the Josephson Institute of Ethics.

Some of the 2012 results, when compared to those of the 2010 school year, were relatively consistent and did not alter drastically. Many expressed distinct surprise, though, at several particular results, one of which asked students to either agree or disagree with the statement: “My parents/guardians would rather I cheat than get a bad grade.”

In 2010, two percent of students agreed. In 2012, 79 percent of students agreed, compared to the national average of 10 percent. Many students were shocked to see the drastic difference found between the percentages.

“I was really surprised that people thought that parents would want them to cheat rather than get bad grades, and a lot of people from Harker thought that,” Mary Najibi (9) said.

Some attributed the disparity to students’ misinterpretation of their parents’ desires.

“I think people have different perceptions of their parents and what they actually want from them.” Anika Mohindra (9) said.

On the other hand, certain students accepted the data as fresh insight into the lives of other students.

“Our advisory was most shocked at how many parents condoned cheating for a good grade,” Alice Tsui (12) said. “The jump from two percent in 2010 to 79 percent in 2012 was so crazy that we started to wonder if it was a typo. I think it’s strange how dramatic the change is in a matter of two years.”

The anonymous questionnaire is distributed to over 20,000 students in the United States every two years to gauge their standards for honor and determine unique trends in adolescent behavior.

The study was comprised of many questions regarding the morality of students themselves and their perception of the ethical standards of others. Motives of the activity included discerning how much weight students placed on personal integrity in relation to their pursuit of success and if cheating could be considered socially acceptable if the outcome is favorable.

“[The results] are very accurate for the Harker environment because of the pressure that we have for all our grades and everything,” Daniela Lee (10) said. “It just feels like what people think, not necessarily what we do.”

Junior Nicky Semenza believes that the results have more universal implications and that it is impossible to guarantee complete honesty on the survey.

“I think the trustworthiness of the Harker environment has degraded,” he said. “I do think that some people marked [on the survey] what they thought was the right thing to do. Even though it was anonymous, that doesn’t mean people will be truthful.”

Despite the shock, many students still expressed that the general analysis was useful and thought-provoking, leading them to consider their own behavioral conduct.

Sophomore Shikhar Dixit found the discussion “quite beneficial to [his] understanding of ethical and honest behavior.”

“I believe it really helped me as a person. I believe I have changed individually, and I feel like we should have these conversations more,” he said.

The next date for the survey is estimated to take place in late 2013 or early 2014.