A survey revealed that more than half of high school students answered in a survey conducted, that if they were to receive 1 billion won, they would be willing to commit crimes. (Image : Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec.31 (Korea Bizwire) – A survey revealed that more than half of high school students answered in a survey conducted, that if they were to receive 1 billion won, they would be willing to commit crimes.
Half of the high school students surveyed were selfishly thinking that their lives are the only lives that matter regardless of the hardships the closest people around them would have to endure.
According to a survey conducted with 11,000 participants that were students (elementary school~high school) by the Ethics Research center of the HungSaDan Transparency Movement headquarters, 56 percent of high school students answered that they would be willing to commit a crime and go to jail for about a year if they were compensated monetarily with 1 billion won. 17 percent of elementary school students, and 39 percent of junior high school students responded with the same reply, showing a steady increase as the age of the students went up.
In 2012, 12 percent of elementary school students, 28 percent of junior high school students and 44 percent of high school students answered that they could commit a crime and withstand the jail time as punishment, if they in return compensated with a large sum of money. 16 percent of elementary school students, 33 percent of junior high school students and 47 percent of high school students gave the same reply in 2013. The increased rates show that the sense of moral ethics among today’s students are becoming more and more confused.
19 percent of elementary school students, 30 percent of junior high school students and 45 percent of high school students claimed that ‘the difficulties of others are not important as long as they are doing well’. Two years ago, 19 percent of elementary school students, 27 percent of junior high school students and 36 percent of high school students gave the same answer.
The honesty index of teens was evaluated to be at 78 points. Elementary school students earned 88 points, junior high school students scored 78 points, and high school students 67 points.
The organization analyzed that because education is headed towards the university entrance examination as the students get older, their community spirit and sense of moral ethics are lowering.
By M.H.Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
