Honesty Quiz:
How honest are you?   ...really?
Acknowledgments:
 This questionnaire and the results of a survey of 1241 respondents was published in Australian Readers Digest Oct 2004.

Question 1. Have you ever cheated on a test (by copying answers, smuggling in notes, etc)? Yes No		Question 2. Have you ever misstated the facts on a resume or job application? Yes  No
Question 3. Have you ever called in sick at work when you were not really ill? Yes  No		Question 4. Have you ever taken office supplies from your company for personal use? Yes No
Question 5. Have you ever shifted blame to a colleague for something you did? Yes No		Question 6. Have you ever Padded your expense account? Yes No
Question 7. Have you ever passed off someone else's work or achievements as your own? Yes No		Question 8. Have you ever sneaked into an event without paying? Yes No
Question 9. Have you ever been undercharged/received too much change from a cashier and not told them? Yes No		Question 10. Have you ever found something valuable and made no attempt to return it to the owner? Yes No
Question 11. Have you ever taken towels/robes from a hotel or tableware from a restaurant? Yes No		Question 12. Have you ever ridden on public transport without paying the correct fare? Yes No
Question 13. Have you ever used music or software you know or suspect was pirated? Yes No		Question 14. Have you ever bought a "bargain" believing it had been stolen? Yes No
Question 15. Have you ever failed to declare prohibited items or understated the value of goods bought overseas? Yes No		Question 16. Have you ever damaged an unoccupied car and not left your details? Yes No
Question 17. Have you ever cheated on your tax return (not declared income or over reported deductions)? Yes  No		Question 18. Have you ever driven more than 20 km/h over the speed limit or run a red light? Yes  No
Question 19. Have you ever had too much to drink and driven home? Yes No		Question 20. Have you ever lied about your age? Yes No
Question 21. Have you ever lied to friends or family members about their appearance to avoid hurting their feelings? Yes No		Question 22. Have you ever parked in a disabled spot when you weren't entitled to? Yes No
Question 23. Have you ever lied to your spouse or partner about the cost of a recent purchase? Yes No		Question 24. Have you ever discovered that a friend's partner was cheating on them and not mentioned it to your friend? Yes No
Question 25. Have you ever lied to your spouse or partner about your relationship with another person? Yes No		Question 26. Have you ever "borrowed" something from a friend and not returned it? Yes No
Question 27. Have you ever sneaked a look through the private possessions of a friend or family member? Yes No

HOW DID YOU SCORE?

Score

The above survey was conducted online by Australian Reader's Digest.  Nearly 1250 Australians and New Zealanders responded to the survey.  

• Virtually everyone who took the survey "fessed" up to being dishonest at some time in their lives. 
• Only six saints (about 0.5 per cent) claimed they've never committed any of the 27 acts on our list. 
• And one sinner copped to having done it all. 
• On average, respondents said "yes" to nine questions. 

Yes Answers

Q1-40%	Q2-22%	Q3-61%	Q4-61&	Q5-14%	Q6-7%	Q7-8%	Q8-26%
Q9-62%	Q10-18%	Q11-22%	Q12-40%	Q13-70%	Q14-9%	Q15-17%	Q16-20%
Q17-17%	Q18-61%	Q19-38%	Q20-15%	Q21-65%	Q22-16%	Q23-39%	Q24-22%
Q25-23%	Q26-36%	Q27-57%

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How honest are you?

BY SUE CARNEY (ADAPTED FROM AN ARTICLE BY NANCY KALISH), 
Published in Australian Readers Digest October 2004 p44-49

Nearly 1250 Australians and New Zealanders took part in the Reader's Digest survey. Their answers surprised even themselves.

YOU THINK you're fairly good at doing the right thing? At least, that's what 1241 of our readers thought before taking our online survey on honesty Afterwards some weren't so sure.

As a rule, we're quick to pillory politicians, business leaders and other public figures who stray from the highest principles. But as Reader's Digest found out, we're way more lenient when it comes to enforcing our own ethics, and we have developed pretty creative rationales for our behaviour.

Virtually everyone who took the survey fessed up to being dishonest at some time in their lives. Only six saints (about 0.5 per cent) claimed they've never committed any of the 27 acts on our list. And one sinner copped to having done it all. On average, respondents said "yes" to nine questions. (To see how you stack up, try the survey.)

Keeping the Peace

Most people say they try hard to be straightforward with those close to them. "If you can't be honest with friends and family, you don't deserve to have any," notes one respondent. When people do stretch the truth with loved ones, it's often to protect feelings and the relationship. For example, faced with a dicey question such as "Does this outfit look good?" 65 per cent admitted to fudging. Explains one woman, 'What does not appeal to me might appeal to others."

Keeping the peace is also paramount to the 43 per cent of women and 30 per cent of men who admitted deceiving their partner about the price of a recent purchase. Says one woman, "I just tell him how much I've saved." Another: "My husband doesn't need to know all the nitty gritty - as long as we are solvent and there is money in the bank." Or this logic: "Value is different to different people."

The same reasoning works for the 23 per cent who bent the truth about another relationship, past or present. "Friends and family don't need to know everything," says one. Comments another: "I have on a few occasions had more than just a casual relationship with some of our friends. To tell my wife this might do more harm than good, so..."

Many pointed to the difference between "lying to save a person's feelings and lying to hurt them." More than a fifth of our poll group say they had discovered a friend's partner was cheating on their friend and, faced with this uncomfortable news decided to do nothing. In many instances, this was not without some angst. "To tell or not to tell," says one. "It's a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't."

But if we reason it's better to look the other way, note this: 57 per cent of us have sneaked a look at someone's private possessions when they weren't around. "I'm a little sister," writes one respondent. "That's what I'm supposed to do." In fact, people of all ages found ways to justify the Big Snoop: "It encourages my children to keep their own areas tidy because then I have no reason to be in their space," says a parent. Explains a once-troubled wife, "I suspected my first husband was dating another woman. I found theatre tickets and romantic cards in his belongings."

Bilking the Boss Man

At work, people seem to have the hardest time being dishonest when it will hurt another person - only 8 per cent of respondents have ever passed off someone else's work or achievements as their own. But when we think we're cheating only a faceless corporation, scruples can nosedive. Twenty two per cent had been "creative" with their job application or resume'. But several said they owned up to embellishing facts once they got the job!

Over 60 per cent have taken a sick day when they were feeling just fine. Some swore it was only to care for an ill child or loved one. But many others found playing hooky was perfectly defensible. "My hangover would have erased any sensible work," said one. Some even blamed the company: "My boss's attitude wasn't always that great. I would almost talk myself into feeling sick before I called in."

Then there's the question of pocketed office supplies. Those of us who've pilfered pens, Post-Its and paperclips outnumber the honest by two to one. Some said it's not so much stealing as a way of getting even: "He made me work Saturdays without pay. I thought it was the least he could do to repay me my time."

Mean Streets

When we hit the stores, we seem particularly determined to get a deal. Nearly two-thirds admitted to being undercharged or receiving too much change without mentioning it. Says one respondent, "Big stores overcharge regularly, so occasionally I don't tell them when they undercharge me. Another: "I did once and never again. I had to unpack all my bags. It is more hassle than it is worth."

Of course, getting something for free is even more tempting. Seventy per cent of those we asked have used pirated music or software, many without a second thought. "Software companies need to realise they charge too much for often faulty and buggy products," says one disgruntled user And then there was this line: "My family and I copy each others' CDs. I could just go over to their place and listen to theirs. Our piracy is merely a convenience.

One reader admitted to accidentally packing a holiday unit towel in her luggage but then making no effort to send it back: "Figured it was fair exchange for the stuff we accidentally leave behind." But for some, a little dishonesty buys a heavy conscience. "Many years ago I souvenired a teaspoon from an Australian navy ship," says one. And another: "Over 25 years ago I went into a movie without paying. I can tell you the name of the movie. Superman."

In fact, more than one in four had sneaked into an event without a ticket. One mother detailed "passing off" her children as younger than they really were to avoid paying adult rates -"plenty of families are guilty of this." And 40 per cent owned up to using public transport without paying the correct fare. In one case it was to spend time with the bus driver - her husband - who worked difficult shifts.

Big Government

Only 17 per cent admitted to fudging a tax return. Still, some souls see their assessment as a personal battleground. "It's not like the government has exactly used the money wisely," says one. They increase taxes then seem to increase the amount of stupid ways to spend it."

Speeding, on the other hand, feels low-risk. Sixty-one per cent of us have stepped on the pedal or run a red light. Typical: "My thought process is 'if I'm not going to get caught, I'll do it."'

Almost one in five confessed to bringing prohibited items through customs or understating the value of new purchases to avoid paying duty. "Honestly, have you ever been overseas and not spent more than $400 on presents, souvenirs, etc?" says one.

All these answers may paint a less-than-flattering picture of our ethics, but there are positive signs. Many who admitted to lying or cheating said that they've since changed their ways. "Mistakes were made when I was younger and when I didn't fully understand consequences of my actions," one respondent says. "I now know better"

The survey opened some people's eyes to their behaviour Says one, "I was going to comment that I couldn't cross the basic "no, no's" i.e. cheating, stealing, plagiarism, etc. - until I checked my answers and saw that my ideals were somewhat blurred."

Battle of the Sexes

So who's more honest, men or women? It looks like both sexes tend to be equally culpable, though our survey suggests that each is devilish in different ways.

Men's dishonesty surfaces more around impersonal objects. They take office supplies (63% of men vs. 60% women), fudge tax returns (23% vs. 15%) and snap up "hot" bar-gains (12% vs. 7%) more often than women.

"Men are more pro-active and competitive," says Melbourne psychologist Dr Helen McGrath. They initiate dishonest acts, while women tend to wait for an opportunity to present itself, and then take advantage.

"Women focus on empathy and seek to avoid conflict," McGrath adds. "The more ambiguous a situation, such as taking a 'mental health day,' the more likely women are to do this."

Yep, 65% of women vs. 52% of men admitted to taking sickies. Those who fibbed about the cost of a recent purchase? 43% of women and 30% of men. And the I-can't-possibly-tell-you-what I-really-think-about-your-new-look brigade? That was 72% of all women and 52% of men.

Did you find the test above useful?

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