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NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release December 6, 2006
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.
Colorado Springs, Colo. – 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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