2012 Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth
67
2012 Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth Josephson Institute of Ethics CHARACTER COUNTS! National Office 9841 Airport Blvd., #300 Los Angeles, CA 90045 310-846-4800 CharacterCounts.org | JosephsonInstitute.org
Transcript of 2012 Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth
2012 Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute of Ethics CHARACTER COUNTS! National Office
9841 Airport Blvd., #300 Los Angeles, CA 90045
310-846-4800
CharacterCounts.org | JosephsonInstitute.org
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
© 2012 Josephson Institute CharacterCounts.org 9841 Airport Blvd., #300 — 2 — JosephsonInstitute.org Los Angeles, CA 90045 310-846-4800
Since 1992, the Josephson Institute of Ethics has issued a biennial report on the ethics of American high school students. It is the largest study of its kind to look at student attitudes and behavior, an important predictor of how they will act as adults. More than 23,000 students across the U.S. participated in the 2012 survey. The survey findings have an error margin of plus or minus less than one percent, as validated by Dr. Rick Hesse, D.Sc., Department Chair, Decision Sciences & Marketing, Pepperdine University.
About the Respondents
CHARACTER COUNTS! School
Yes No 3033 13%
20411 87%
Region East West
11287 48%
12157 52%
School Type Charter Public Private
2599 11%
15753 67%
5092 22%
Gender Male Female
10440 46%
11865 52%
Grade Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth
6301 28%
5765 26%
5800 26%
4545 20%
Age 11-12 13-14 15-16 17-18 19 or
older - -
2404 11%
11362 51%
8113 36%
423 2%
Varsity Sports Athlete
No Yes 14101 63%
8272 37%
Serve in Student Leadership
No Yes 16594 74%
5700 26%
Youth Activities No Yes
5258 24%
17076 76%
In Honors/AP Classes
No Yes 10577 47%
11702 53%
Work 8+ Hours/Week
No Yes 17587 79%
4638 21%
Expect to Attend College
No Yes Unsure 680 3%
19909 89%
1815 8%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 2 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? .....................................................................................................................................................................................4
1. It's important for me to be a person with good character. ..............................................................................................................................4
2. Most adults in my life consistently set a good example of ethics and character. ..........................................................................................5
3. My parents/guardians always want me to do the ethically right thing, no matter what the cost. ..................................................................6
4. Being a good person is more important than being rich. ...............................................................................................................................7
5. When it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know. ...............................................................................................8
6. In personal relationships, trust and honesty are essential. .............................................................................................................................9
7. In business and the workplace, trust and honesty are essential. ..................................................................................................................10
8. In the real world, successful people do what they have to do to win, even if others consider it cheating. .................................................11
9. A person has to lie or cheat sometimes in order to succeed. .......................................................................................................................12
10. I sometimes lie to save money. ..................................................................................................................................................................13
11. People who are willing to lie, cheat, or break the rules are more likely to succeed than people who are not. .........................................14
12. My parents/guardians would rather I cheat than get bad grades. ...............................................................................................................15
13. It's important to me that people trust me. ...................................................................................................................................................16
14. It's not worth it to lie or cheat because it hurts your character. .................................................................................................................17
15. It's sometimes OK to hit or threaten a person who makes me very angry. ................................................................................................18
16. Physical violence (fighting, bullying, intimidation) is a big problem at my school. .................................................................................19
17. I am prejudiced against certain groups. ......................................................................................................................................................20
18. I feel very safe when I am at school. ..........................................................................................................................................................21
19. If I wanted to, I could get drugs. ................................................................................................................................................................22
20. If I wanted to, I could get alcoholic drinks (liquor, beer, wine). ...............................................................................................................23
21. It's not cheating if everyone is doing it. .....................................................................................................................................................24
22. In sports, if you're not cheating, you're not trying hard enough. ...............................................................................................................25
23. I frequently volunteer to help others or perform charity work. .................................................................................................................26
24. People should play by the rules even if it means they lose. .......................................................................................................................27
25. I am satisfied with my own ethics and character. ......................................................................................................................................28
VALUES AND PRIORITIES ...............................................................................................................................................................................29
26. Being physically attractive .........................................................................................................................................................................29
27. Being popular ..............................................................................................................................................................................................30
28. Having good moral character .....................................................................................................................................................................31
29. Being wealthy .............................................................................................................................................................................................32
30. Being charitable ..........................................................................................................................................................................................33
31. Being thought of as ethical and honorable .................................................................................................................................................34
32. My religion .................................................................................................................................................................................................35
33. Helping others .............................................................................................................................................................................................36
34. Having trusting personal relationships .......................................................................................................................................................37
35. Treating others with respect .......................................................................................................................................................................38
36. Being treated with respect ..........................................................................................................................................................................39
37. Getting into college ....................................................................................................................................................................................40
38. Being famous ..............................................................................................................................................................................................41
39. Living up to the standards of my religion ..................................................................................................................................................42
40. Pleasing my parents ....................................................................................................................................................................................43
HAVE YOU DONE THESE THINGS? ...............................................................................................................................................................44
41. Lied to a parent about something significant .............................................................................................................................................44
42. Lied to a teacher about something significant ............................................................................................................................................45
43. Copied an Internet document for a classroom assignment ........................................................................................................................46
44. Cheated during a test at school ...................................................................................................................................................................47
45. Copied another's homework .......................................................................................................................................................................48
46. Stole something from parents or relatives ..................................................................................................................................................49
47. Stole something from a friend ....................................................................................................................................................................50
48. Stole something from a store ......................................................................................................................................................................51
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 3 -
49. Bullied, teased, or taunted someone ...........................................................................................................................................................52
50. Used racial slurs or insults ..........................................................................................................................................................................53
51. Mistreated someone because he or she belonged to a different group ......................................................................................................54
52. Hit a person because I was angry ...............................................................................................................................................................55
53. Did things in violation of my religious beliefs ...........................................................................................................................................56
54. Cheated or bent the rules to win in sports ..................................................................................................................................................57
55. Been bullied, teased, or taunted in a way that seriously upset me .............................................................................................................58
56. Suffered the prejudice of others .................................................................................................................................................................59
FEELINGS ABOUT SCHOOL ............................................................................................................................................................................60
57. I feel close to people at this school. ............................................................................................................................................................60
58. I feel like I am part of this school. ..............................................................................................................................................................61
59. I am happy to be at this school. ..................................................................................................................................................................62
60. The teachers at this school treat students fairly. ........................................................................................................................................63
61. I feel safe in my school. ..............................................................................................................................................................................64
62. If people you know were asked to list the most ethical people they know, how many would put you on their list? ...............................65
63. How many questions on this survey did you answer with complete honesty? ..........................................................................................66
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 4 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 1. It's important for me to be a person with good character. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 328
1% 22381 99%
Gen
der
Total 304 1%
21695 99%
Male 202 2%
9796 98%
Female 100 1%
11555 99%
Gra
de
Total 305 1%
21471 99%
9th Grade 95 2%
6010 98%
10th Grade 85 2%
5505 98%
11th Grade 63 1%
5572 99%
12th Grade 61 1%
4381 99%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 95 1%
7895 99%
Male 67 2%
3994 98%
Female 27 1%
3725 99%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 200 1%
13273 99%
Male 128 2%
5523 98%
Female 71 1%
7590 99%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 154 1%
16413 99%
Male 103 1%
7075 99%
Female 50 1%
9027 99%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 138 3%
4730 97%
Male 89 4%
2412 96%
Female 48 2%
2292 98%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 126 1%
11234 99%
Male 79 2%
4522 98%
Female 46 1%
6470 99%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 165 2%
9854 98%
Male 113 2%
4936 98%
Female 51 1%
4823 99%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 5 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 2. Most adults in my life consistently set a good example of ethics and character. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 3236
15% 18726 85%
Gen
der
Total 3099 15%
18169 85%
Male 1507 16%
8179 84%
Female 1577 14%
9663 86%
Gra
de
Total 3075 15%
17978 85%
9th Grade 835 14%
5013 86%
10th Grade 803 15%
4609 85%
11th Grade 771 14%
4698 86%
12th Grade 665 15%
3655 85%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 857 11%
6964 89%
Male 481 12%
3493 88%
Female 369 10%
3303 90%
Var
sity
spo
rts No
Gen
der
Total 2168 17%
10758 83%
Male 990 18%
4444 82%
Female 1170 16%
6163 84%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 1973 12%
14102 88%
Male 907 13%
6060 87%
Female 1054 12%
7746 88%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 1046 23%
3600 77%
Male 561 23%
1849 77%
Female 482 22%
1727 78%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 1407 13%
9643 87%
Male 641 14%
3840 86%
Female 757 12%
5573 88%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 1606 17%
8013 83%
Male 819 17%
4048 83%
Female 781 17%
3875 83%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 6 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 3. My parents/guardians always want me to do the ethically right thing, no matter what the cost. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 1482
7% 20624 93%
Gen
der
Total 1416 7%
19995 93%
Male 732 7%
9039 93%
Female 668 6%
10640 94%
Gra
de
Total 1407 7%
19790 93%
9th Grade 430 7%
5502 93%
10th Grade 335 6%
5131 94%
11th Grade 362 7%
5123 93%
12th Grade 279 6%
4032 94%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 442 6%
7411 94%
Male 263 7%
3739 93%
Female 172 5%
3507 95%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 933 7%
12100 93%
Male 449 8%
5043 92%
Female 475 6%
6914 94%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 892 6%
15260 94%
Male 430 6%
6594 94%
Female 448 5%
8381 95%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 482 10%
4224 90%
Male 278 11%
2161 89%
Female 202 9%
2039 91%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 634 6%
10461 94%
Male 304 7%
4202 93%
Female 317 5%
6042 95%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 732 8%
8983 92%
Male 401 8%
4531 92%
Female 328 7%
4360 93%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 7 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 4. Being a good person is more important than being rich. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 2035
9% 19665 91%
Gen
der
Total 1940 9%
19079 91%
Male 1339 14%
8093 86%
Female 590 5%
10663 95%
Gra
de
Total 1928 9%
18876 91%
9th Grade 543 9%
5261 91%
10th Grade 483 9%
4869 91%
11th Grade 527 10%
4868 90%
12th Grade 374 9%
3876 91%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 703 9%
6922 91%
Male 521 14%
3295 86%
Female 179 5%
3460 95%
Var
sity
spo
rts No
Gen
der
Total 1187 9%
11703 91%
Male 781 15%
4571 85%
Female 398 5%
6984 95%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 1188 8%
14646 92%
Male 807 12%
5943 88%
Female 375 4%
8408 96%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 688 15%
3970 85%
Male 482 20%
1908 80%
Female 201 9%
2041 91%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 836 8%
9998 92%
Male 558 13%
3766 87%
Female 273 4%
6003 96%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 1029 11%
8568 89%
Male 722 15%
4062 85%
Female 301 6%
4419 94%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 8 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 5. When it comes to doing what is right, I am better than most people I know. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 3723
19% 16091 81%
Gen
der
Total 3580 19%
15604 81%
Male 1683 19%
7156 81%
Female 1843 18%
8219 82%
Gra
de
Total 3530 19%
15471 81%
9th Grade 1112 21%
4178 79%
10th Grade 932 19%
3924 81%
11th Grade 845 17%
4086 83%
12th Grade 640 16%
3281 84%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 1132 16%
5947 84%
Male 602 16%
3050 84%
Female 509 16%
2774 84%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 2352 20%
9277 80%
Male 1031 21%
3901 79%
Female 1291 20%
5275 80%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 2403 17%
12014 83%
Male 1061 17%
5278 83%
Female 1295 17%
6524 83%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 1070 25%
3198 75%
Male 561 25%
1656 75%
Female 504 25%
1530 75%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 1499 15%
8346 85%
Male 623 15%
3418 85%
Female 841 15%
4765 85%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 1971 22%
6827 78%
Male 999 22%
3491 78%
Female 955 23%
3275 77%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 9 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 6. In personal relationships, trust and honesty are essential. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 473
2% 22195 98%
Gen
der
Total 436 2%
21527 98%
Male 299 3%
9697 97%
Female 135 1%
11488 99%
Gra
de
Total 432 2%
21304 98%
9th Grade 152 3%
5900 97%
10th Grade 89 2%
5508 98%
11th Grade 97 2%
5553 98%
12th Grade 93 2%
4341 98%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 178 2%
7752 98%
Male 136 3%
3886 97%
Female 42 1%
3690 99%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 247 2%
13249 98%
Male 157 3%
5530 97%
Female 88 1%
7561 99%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 241 1%
16235 99%
Male 167 2%
6978 98%
Female 72 1%
8949 99%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 180 4%
4745 96%
Male 123 5%
2409 95%
Female 57 2%
2309 98%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 150 1%
11170 99%
Male 101 2%
4500 98%
Female 48 1%
6429 99%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 268 3%
9764 97%
Male 186 4%
4866 96%
Female 81 2%
4804 98%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 10 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 7. In business and the workplace, trust and honesty are essential. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 1177
5% 20995 95%
Gen
der
Total 1120 5%
20356 95%
Male 685 7%
9097 93%
Female 423 4%
10935 96%
Gra
de
Total 1112 5%
20139 95%
9th Grade 354 6%
5513 94%
10th Grade 287 5%
5208 95%
11th Grade 263 5%
5274 95%
12th Grade 207 5%
4141 95%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 401 5%
7375 95%
Male 280 7%
3674 93%
Female 116 3%
3533 97%
Var
sity
spo
rts No
Gen
der
Total 671 5%
12507 95%
Male 378 7%
5177 93%
Female 287 4%
7180 96%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 683 4%
15468 96%
Male 415 6%
6601 94%
Female 258 3%
8574 97%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 382 8%
4396 92%
Male 239 10%
2224 90%
Female 141 6%
2148 94%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 539 5%
10525 95%
Male 304 7%
4182 93%
Female 224 4%
6117 96%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 523 5%
9292 95%
Male 345 7%
4620 93%
Female 177 4%
4581 96%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 11 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 8. In the real world, successful people do what they have to do to win, even if others consider it cheating. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 8899
43% 11844 57%
Gen
der
Total 8646 43%
11430 57%
Male 3331 36%
5879 64%
Female 5175 49%
5387 51%
Gra
de
Total 8542 43%
11336 57%
9th Grade 2434 44%
3046 56%
10th Grade 2270 45%
2831 55%
11th Grade 2110 41%
3070 59%
12th Grade 1727 42%
2387 58%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 3144 43%
4175 57%
Male 1381 37%
2356 63%
Female 1693 49%
1737 51%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 5300 43%
6966 57%
Male 1853 36%
3359 64%
Female 3383 49%
3527 51%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 6779 45%
8307 55%
Male 2491 38%
4102 62%
Female 4159 51%
4060 49%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 1671 37%
2803 63%
Male 735 32%
1591 68%
Female 930 44%
1195 56%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 4650 45%
5727 55%
Male 1548 37%
2690 63%
Female 3010 51%
2917 49%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 3775 41%
5359 59%
Male 1663 36%
2989 64%
Female 2069 47%
2328 53%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 12 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 9. A person has to lie or cheat sometimes in order to succeed. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 13377
64% 7639 36%
Gen
der
Total 13012 64%
7341 36%
Male 5066 55%
4213 45%
Female 7723 72%
3025 28%
Gra
de
Total 12866 64%
7289 36%
9th Grade 3678 66%
1930 34%
10th Grade 3267 63%
1911 37%
11th Grade 3327 64%
1905 36%
12th Grade 2593 63%
1540 37%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 4731 64%
2703 36%
Male 2081 55%
1680 45%
Female 2533 72%
972 28%
Var
sity
spo
rts No
Gen
der
Total 7983 64%
4448 36%
Male 2847 54%
2414 46%
Female 5037 72%
1983 28%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 10191 66%
5135 34%
Male 3796 57%
2850 43%
Female 6194 74%
2192 26%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 2513 56%
2000 44%
Male 1110 47%
1234 53%
Female 1387 65%
757 35%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 6788 64%
3748 36%
Male 2317 54%
1974 46%
Female 4319 72%
1695 28%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 5883 64%
3374 36%
Male 2580 55%
2095 45%
Female 3238 72%
1256 28%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 13 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 10. I sometimes lie to save money. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 12871
62% 8019 38%
Gen
der
Total 12492 62%
7740 38%
Male 5098 55%
4155 45%
Female 7176 67%
3491 33%
Gra
de
Total 12372 62%
7670 38%
9th Grade 3593 65%
1969 35%
10th Grade 3200 62%
1925 38%
11th Grade 3093 59%
2138 41%
12th Grade 2484 60%
1636 40%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 4576 62%
2780 38%
Male 2070 55%
1671 45%
Female 2391 69%
1061 31%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 7624 62%
4755 38%
Male 2899 55%
2350 45%
Female 4628 66%
2360 34%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 9738 64%
5468 36%
Male 3802 57%
2818 43%
Female 5740 69%
2565 31%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 2454 54%
2054 46%
Male 1155 49%
1190 51%
Female 1282 60%
856 40%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 6633 63%
3815 37%
Male 2392 56%
1854 44%
Female 4088 68%
1894 32%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 5532 60%
3686 40%
Male 2555 54%
2140 46%
Female 2917 66%
1520 34%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 14 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 11. People who are willing to lie, cheat, or break the rules are more likely to succeed than people who are not. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 16199
78% 4473 22%
Gen
der
Total 15734 79%
4281 21%
Male 6572 72%
2497 28%
Female 8881 84%
1751 16%
Gra
de
Total 15570 79%
4244 21%
9th Grade 4500 81%
1044 19%
10th Grade 4009 79%
1081 21%
11th Grade 3980 78%
1153 22%
12th Grade 3079 76%
964 24%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 5781 79%
1544 21%
Male 2724 74%
982 26%
Female 2911 84%
546 16%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 9598 79%
2608 21%
Male 3678 72%
1434 28%
Female 5792 83%
1158 17%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 12172 81%
2916 19%
Male 4889 75%
1626 25%
Female 7025 85%
1263 15%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 3208 73%
1215 27%
Male 1501 66%
776 34%
Female 1690 80%
434 20%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 8162 79%
2147 21%
Male 3003 72%
1170 28%
Female 4961 84%
954 16%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 7177 78%
1981 22%
Male 3372 73%
1224 27%
Female 3728 83%
748 17%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 15 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 12. My parents/guardians would rather I cheat than get bad grades. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 19420
90% 2048 10%
Gen
der
Total 18841 91%
1960 9%
Male 8186 88%
1148 12%
Female 10321 93%
808 7%
Gra
de
Total 18632 91%
1954 9%
9th Grade 5305 92%
481 8%
10th Grade 4804 91%
493 9%
11th Grade 4798 90%
535 10%
12th Grade 3723 89%
444 11%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 6810 90%
760 10%
Male 3309 87%
492 13%
Female 3329 93%
267 7%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 11600 91%
1135 9%
Male 4653 88%
626 12%
Female 6793 93%
506 7%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 14420 92%
1301 8%
Male 6008 89%
734 11%
Female 8111 93%
564 7%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 3981 87%
579 13%
Male 1936 84%
370 16%
Female 2019 91%
208 9%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 9791 91%
1010 9%
Male 3790 88%
532 12%
Female 5766 92%
475 8%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 8557 91%
872 9%
Male 4130 88%
570 12%
Female 4335 94%
301 6%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 16 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 13. It's important to me that people trust me. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 830
4% 21642 96%
Gen
der
Total 791 4%
20987 96%
Male 489 5%
9407 95%
Female 285 2%
11254 98%
Gra
de
Total 786 4%
20765 96%
9th Grade 213 4%
5837 96%
10th Grade 197 4%
5375 96%
11th Grade 179 3%
5386 97%
12th Grade 195 4%
4165 96%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 243 3%
7667 97%
Male 167 4%
3843 96%
Female 65 2%
3660 98%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 523 4%
12821 96%
Male 305 5%
5304 95%
Female 212 3%
7363 97%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 430 3%
15950 97%
Male 253 4%
6831 96%
Female 161 2%
8825 98%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 331 7%
4515 93%
Male 213 9%
2288 91%
Female 117 5%
2202 95%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 316 3%
10922 97%
Male 187 4%
4365 96%
Female 117 2%
6327 98%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 445 4%
9492 96%
Male 278 6%
4728 94%
Female 162 3%
4675 97%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 17 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 14. It's not worth it to lie or cheat because it hurts your character. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 2992
14% 18374 86%
Gen
der
Total 2872 14%
17834 86%
Male 1749 19%
7604 81%
Female 1101 10%
9917 90%
Gra
de
Total 2863 14%
17637 86%
9th Grade 716 13%
5002 87%
10th Grade 747 14%
4522 86%
11th Grade 792 15%
4542 85%
12th Grade 607 15%
3568 85%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 1034 14%
6531 86%
Male 669 18%
3139 82%
Female 354 10%
3230 90%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 1767 14%
10880 86%
Male 1028 19%
4260 81%
Female 728 10%
6477 90%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 1855 12%
13758 88%
Male 1096 16%
5619 84%
Female 739 9%
7858 91%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 940 21%
3632 79%
Male 599 26%
1749 74%
Female 339 15%
1858 85%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 1376 13%
9313 87%
Male 776 18%
3529 82%
Female 583 9%
5566 91%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 1413 15%
8033 85%
Male 913 19%
3821 81%
Female 495 11%
4124 89%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 18 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 15. It's sometimes OK to hit or threaten a person who makes me very angry. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 15903
76% 5106 24%
Gen
der
Total 15470 76%
4885 24%
Male 6060 67%
3028 33%
Female 9105 83%
1829 17%
Gra
de
Total 15292 76%
4860 24%
9th Grade 4130 74%
1417 26%
10th Grade 3947 76%
1254 24%
11th Grade 3956 75%
1291 25%
12th Grade 3256 78%
897 22%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 5653 76%
1761 24%
Male 2467 67%
1236 33%
Female 3029 86%
511 14%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 9469 76%
2991 24%
Male 3428 67%
1708 33%
Female 5900 82%
1270 18%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 12079 79%
3267 21%
Male 4526 70%
1978 30%
Female 7277 85%
1265 15%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 3032 67%
1474 33%
Male 1347 58%
957 42%
Female 1662 76%
514 24%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 8416 79%
2175 21%
Male 2906 69%
1285 31%
Female 5293 86%
875 14%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 6657 72%
2555 28%
Male 2952 64%
1641 36%
Female 3622 80%
903 20%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 19 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 16. Physical violence (fighting, bullying, intimidation) is a big problem at my school. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 14496
69% 6506 31%
Gen
der
Total 14094 69%
6259 31%
Male 6467 70%
2783 30%
Female 7303 68%
3464 32%
Gra
de
Total 13923 69%
6222 31%
9th Grade 3661 66%
1880 34%
10th Grade 3452 67%
1727 33%
11th Grade 3759 71%
1524 29%
12th Grade 3047 74%
1091 26%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 5345 71%
2142 29%
Male 2704 71%
1097 29%
Female 2476 70%
1039 30%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 8447 68%
3937 32%
Male 3608 69%
1592 31%
Female 4688 67%
2339 33%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 10801 70%
4617 30%
Male 4694 70%
1986 30%
Female 5813 69%
2622 31%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 2989 67%
1449 33%
Male 1609 70%
684 30%
Female 1357 64%
762 36%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 7772 73%
2831 27%
Male 3160 73%
1151 27%
Female 4380 72%
1675 28%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 5981 65%
3220 35%
Male 3122 67%
1513 33%
Female 2774 62%
1700 38%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 20 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 17. I am prejudiced against certain groups. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 15868
77% 4741 23%
Gen
der
Total 15437 77%
4535 23%
Male 6443 71%
2573 29%
Female 8724 82%
1912 18%
Gra
de
Total 15289 77%
4493 23%
9th Grade 4181 77%
1233 23%
10th Grade 3962 78%
1138 22%
11th Grade 3980 77%
1205 23%
12th Grade 3162 78%
916 22%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 5612 77%
1704 23%
Male 2611 71%
1077 29%
Female 2864 83%
600 17%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 9493 78%
2699 22%
Male 3669 72%
1420 28%
Female 5699 82%
1256 18%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 11780 78%
3281 22%
Male 4673 72%
1811 28%
Female 6865 83%
1423 17%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 3302 75%
1124 25%
Male 1580 70%
687 30%
Female 1701 80%
434 20%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 8122 78%
2351 22%
Male 3018 71%
1210 29%
Female 4914 82%
1110 18%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 6925 77%
2040 23%
Male 3219 72%
1276 28%
Female 3632 83%
746 17%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 21 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 18. I feel very safe when I am at school. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 4190
20% 16530 80%
Gen
der
Total 4026 20%
16068 80%
Male 1955 21%
7225 79%
Female 2058 19%
8516 81%
Gra
de
Total 4011 20%
15880 80%
9th Grade 1238 23%
4264 77%
10th Grade 1105 22%
3996 78%
11th Grade 977 19%
4212 81%
12th Grade 690 17%
3406 83%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 1254 17%
6209 83%
Male 663 17%
3150 83%
Female 585 17%
2892 83%
Var
sity
spo
rts No
Gen
der
Total 2662 22%
9495 78%
Male 1230 24%
3890 76%
Female 1426 21%
5452 79%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 2733 18%
12533 82%
Male 1220 18%
5427 82%
Female 1502 18%
6807 82%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 1169 27%
3166 73%
Male 660 29%
1603 71%
Female 507 25%
1542 75%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 1692 16%
8860 84%
Male 730 17%
3588 83%
Female 954 16%
5040 84%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 2199 24%
6802 76%
Male 1144 25%
3418 75%
Female 1050 24%
3295 76%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 22 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 19. If I wanted to, I could get drugs. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 8565
41% 12263 59%
Gen
der
Total 8333 41%
11843 59%
Male 3587 39%
5601 61%
Female 4587 43%
6085 57%
Gra
de
Total 8175 41%
11801 59%
9th Grade 2831 51%
2739 49%
10th Grade 2124 42%
2976 58%
11th Grade 1923 37%
3274 63%
12th Grade 1295 32%
2809 68%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 2814 38%
4590 62%
Male 1316 35%
2452 65%
Female 1419 41%
2054 59%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 5312 43%
6982 57%
Male 2176 42%
3000 58%
Female 3060 44%
3912 56%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 6401 42%
8783 58%
Male 2633 40%
3979 60%
Female 3622 44%
4663 56%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 1714 38%
2773 62%
Male 837 36%
1461 64%
Female 867 40%
1299 60%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 4076 39%
6421 61%
Male 1517 36%
2755 64%
Female 2450 41%
3555 59%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 4019 44%
5109 56%
Male 1952 42%
2666 58%
Female 2020 46%
2399 54%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 23 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 20. If I wanted to, I could get alcoholic drinks (liquor, beer, wine). National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 7618
36% 13328 64%
Gen
der
Total 7397 36%
12892 64%
Male 3381 37%
5847 63%
Female 3930 37%
6807 63%
Gra
de
Total 7260 36%
12828 64%
9th Grade 2603 47%
2989 53%
10th Grade 1964 38%
3179 62%
11th Grade 1632 31%
3597 69%
12th Grade 1059 26%
3060 74%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 2396 32%
5053 68%
Male 1220 32%
2564 68%
Female 1138 33%
2362 67%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 4799 39%
7560 61%
Male 2057 40%
3143 60%
Female 2697 38%
4310 62%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 5570 36%
9705 64%
Male 2438 37%
4202 63%
Female 3054 37%
5288 63%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 1615 36%
2896 64%
Male 817 35%
1496 65%
Female 791 36%
1382 64%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 3408 32%
7187 68%
Male 1377 32%
2928 68%
Female 1972 33%
4091 67%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 3755 41%
5387 59%
Male 1878 41%
2746 59%
Female 1852 42%
2575 58%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 24 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 21. It's not cheating if everyone is doing it. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 18278
85% 3154 15%
Gen
der
Total 17746 86%
3008 14%
Male 7546 80%
1841 20%
Female 9888 90%
1151 10%
Gra
de
Total 17543 85%
2998 15%
9th Grade 4960 86%
812 14%
10th Grade 4526 85%
775 15%
11th Grade 4493 85%
802 15%
12th Grade 3561 85%
607 15%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 6404 85%
1149 15%
Male 3039 80%
779 20%
Female 3205 90%
362 10%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 10950 86%
1771 14%
Male 4322 81%
1001 19%
Female 6484 89%
762 11%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 13694 87%
1966 13%
Male 5587 83%
1165 17%
Female 7824 91%
788 9%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 3652 79%
942 21%
Male 1750 74%
607 26%
Female 1880 85%
332 15%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 9502 88%
1316 12%
Male 3605 83%
757 17%
Female 5671 91%
553 9%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 7794 83%
1588 17%
Male 3712 79%
1010 21%
Female 4003 88%
568 12%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 25 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 22. In sports, if you're not cheating, you're not trying hard enough. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 19295
89% 2343 11%
Gen
der
Total 18746 89%
2213 11%
Male 8149 86%
1363 14%
Female 10270 92%
843 8%
Gra
de
Total 18536 89%
2217 11%
9th Grade 5154 89%
650 11%
10th Grade 4814 90%
547 10%
11th Grade 4769 89%
597 11%
12th Grade 3796 90%
421 10%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 6779 88%
949 12%
Male 3285 84%
627 16%
Female 3326 91%
318 9%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 11548 91%
1189 9%
Male 4656 87%
690 13%
Female 6741 93%
496 7%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 14346 90%
1524 10%
Male 5962 87%
907 13%
Female 8088 93%
612 7%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 3976 87%
595 13%
Male 1961 83%
393 17%
Female 1991 91%
200 9%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 9915 91%
991 9%
Male 3859 87%
567 13%
Female 5825 93%
420 7%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 8354 88%
1131 12%
Male 4043 85%
732 15%
Female 4222 91%
396 9%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 26 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 23. I frequently volunteer to help others or perform charity work. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 7629
37% 13099 63%
Gen
der
Total 7366 37%
12725 63%
Male 4057 45%
5000 55%
Female 3213 30%
7494 70%
Gra
de
Total 7306 37%
12593 63%
9th Grade 2133 39%
3387 61%
10th Grade 1882 37%
3225 63%
11th Grade 1835 35%
3351 65%
12th Grade 1453 36%
2629 64%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 2370 32%
5022 68%
Male 1488 40%
2226 60%
Female 840 24%
2670 76%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 4808 39%
7438 61%
Male 2453 48%
2654 52%
Female 2301 33%
4687 67%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 4378 29%
10881 71%
Male 2397 37%
4146 63%
Female 1900 23%
6521 77%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 2787 64%
1572 36%
Male 1526 68%
728 32%
Female 1247 60%
833 40%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 3039 29%
7499 71%
Male 1566 37%
2651 63%
Female 1407 23%
4682 77%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 4122 46%
4913 54%
Male 2355 52%
2200 48%
Female 1737 40%
2654 60%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 27 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 24. People should play by the rules even if it means they lose. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 1768
8% 20214 92%
Gen
der
Total 1677 8%
19622 92%
Male 1057 11%
8589 89%
Female 607 5%
10708 95%
Gra
de
Total 1671 8%
19403 92%
9th Grade 463 8%
5441 92%
10th Grade 404 7%
5037 93%
11th Grade 434 8%
5032 92%
12th Grade 367 9%
3891 91%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 597 8%
7158 92%
Male 414 11%
3500 89%
Female 179 5%
3489 95%
Var
sity
spo
rts No
Gen
der
Total 1022 8%
12008 92%
Male 606 11%
4858 89%
Female 407 5%
7002 95%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 1013 6%
15047 94%
Male 634 9%
6300 91%
Female 368 4%
8452 96%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 596 13%
4112 87%
Male 379 16%
2039 84%
Female 215 9%
2050 91%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 700 6%
10321 94%
Male 421 9%
4029 91%
Female 273 4%
6061 96%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 905 9%
8789 91%
Male 586 12%
4288 88%
Female 312 7%
4414 93%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 28 -
WHAT DO YOU THINK? 25. I am satisfied with my own ethics and character. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 1638
7% 20315 93%
Gen
der
Total 1568 7%
19714 93%
Male 751 8%
8944 92%
Female 797 7%
10449 93%
Gra
de
Total 1543 7%
19519 93%
9th Grade 488 8%
5351 92%
10th Grade 402 7%
5004 93%
11th Grade 380 7%
5101 93%
12th Grade 271 6%
4061 94%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 460 6%
7327 94%
Male 261 7%
3705 93%
Female 193 5%
3453 95%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 1070 8%
11915 92%
Male 465 9%
4997 91%
Female 591 8%
6774 92%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 1051 7%
14963 93%
Male 482 7%
6480 93%
Female 551 6%
8194 94%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 464 10%
4278 90%
Male 233 10%
2208 90%
Female 229 10%
2045 90%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 683 6%
10333 94%
Male 291 6%
4196 94%
Female 379 6%
5911 94%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 833 9%
8854 91%
Male 423 9%
4463 91%
Female 403 9%
4303 91%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 29 -
VALUES AND PRIORITIES 26. Being physically attractive National Data
Unimportant Important Total Overall Responses 2066
9% 19870 91%
Gen
der
Total 2014 9%
19261 91%
Male 915 9%
8752 91%
Female 1079 10%
10190 90%
Gra
de
Total 1977 9%
19080 91%
9th Grade 571 10%
5265 90%
10th Grade 529 10%
4907 90%
11th Grade 486 9%
4993 91%
12th Grade 390 9%
3912 91%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 518 7%
7297 93%
Male 250 6%
3721 94%
Female 259 7%
3411 93%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 1440 11%
11518 89%
Male 638 12%
4793 88%
Female 792 11%
6577 89%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 1354 8%
14722 92%
Male 551 8%
6416 92%
Female 785 9%
8018 91%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 606 13%
4074 87%
Male 337 14%
2070 86%
Female 268 12%
1978 88%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 898 8%
10167 92%
Male 369 8%
4133 92%
Female 516 8%
5809 92%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 1057 11%
8585 89%
Male 513 11%
4333 89%
Female 538 11%
4163 89%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 30 -
VALUES AND PRIORITIES 27. Being popular National Data
Unimportant Important Total Overall Responses 9646
44% 12312 56%
Gen
der
Total 9373 44%
11920 56%
Male 3371 35%
6311 65%
Female 5874 52%
5406 48%
Gra
de
Total 9267 44%
11808 56%
9th Grade 2357 40%
3509 60%
10th Grade 2386 44%
3057 56%
11th Grade 2522 46%
2943 54%
12th Grade 2000 47%
2297 53%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 2659 34%
5111 66%
Male 1049 27%
2895 73%
Female 1550 42%
2104 58%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 6508 50%
6511 50%
Male 2244 41%
3228 59%
Female 4199 57%
3195 43%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 6723 42%
9308 58%
Male 2200 32%
4747 68%
Female 4408 50%
4375 50%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 2443 52%
2297 48%
Male 1084 44%
1358 56%
Female 1350 59%
924 41%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 4648 42%
6389 58%
Male 1459 33%
3029 67%
Female 3103 49%
3215 51%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 4498 46%
5180 54%
Male 1813 37%
3057 63%
Female 2647 56%
2067 44%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 31 -
VALUES AND PRIORITIES 28. Having good moral character National Data
Unimportant Important Total Overall Responses 470
2% 21997 98%
Gen
der
Total 446 2%
21339 98%
Male 302 3%
9597 97%
Female 142 1%
11401 99%
Gra
de
Total 442 2%
21116 98%
9th Grade 126 2%
5868 98%
10th Grade 110 2%
5463 98%
11th Grade 112 2%
5484 98%
12th Grade 93 2%
4297 98%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 119 2%
7813 98%
Male 86 2%
3945 98%
Female 32 1%
3694 99%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 317 2%
13018 98%
Male 208 4%
5389 96%
Female 108 1%
7470 99%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 210 1%
16195 99%
Male 134 2%
6971 98%
Female 74 1%
8917 99%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 221 5%
4622 95%
Male 158 6%
2335 94%
Female 63 3%
2260 97%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 144 1%
11152 99%
Male 103 2%
4485 98%
Female 41 1%
6427 99%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 286 3%
9612 97%
Male 187 4%
4795 96%
Female 97 2%
4723 98%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 32 -
VALUES AND PRIORITIES 29. Being wealthy National Data
Unimportant Important Total Overall Responses 6497
29% 15610 71%
Gen
der
Total 6327 30%
15112 70%
Male 2280 23%
7500 77%
Female 3957 35%
7368 65%
Gra
de
Total 6252 29%
14972 71%
9th Grade 1876 32%
4013 68%
10th Grade 1671 30%
3812 70%
11th Grade 1574 29%
3944 71%
12th Grade 1130 26%
3200 74%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 2062 26%
5777 74%
Male 842 21%
3144 79%
Female 1174 32%
2508 68%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 4131 32%
8959 68%
Male 1385 25%
4143 75%
Female 2704 37%
4702 63%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 4785 30%
11336 70%
Male 1621 23%
5389 77%
Female 3088 35%
5722 65%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 1404 29%
3387 71%
Male 595 24%
1881 76%
Female 798 35%
1490 65%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 3055 27%
8059 73%
Male 956 21%
3571 79%
Female 2034 32%
4317 68%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 3111 32%
6638 68%
Male 1252 25%
3680 75%
Female 1837 39%
2888 61%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 33 -
VALUES AND PRIORITIES 30. Being charitable National Data
Unimportant Important Total Overall Responses 1492
7% 19916 93%
Gen
der
Total 1436 7%
19323 93%
Male 908 10%
8494 90%
Female 518 5%
10498 95%
Gra
de
Total 1424 7%
19124 93%
9th Grade 386 7%
5289 93%
10th Grade 354 7%
4916 93%
11th Grade 387 7%
4992 93%
12th Grade 294 7%
3927 93%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 439 6%
7195 94%
Male 303 8%
3572 92%
Female 134 4%
3451 96%
Var
sity
spo
rts No
Gen
der
Total 957 8%
11673 92%
Male 577 11%
4693 89%
Female 372 5%
6829 95%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 771 5%
15023 95%
Male 472 7%
6337 93%
Female 291 3%
8386 97%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 617 14%
3837 86%
Male 405 18%
1904 82%
Female 210 10%
1909 90%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 557 5%
10352 95%
Male 340 8%
4076 92%
Female 212 3%
6042 97%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 833 9%
8458 91%
Male 536 11%
4142 89%
Female 292 6%
4226 94%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 34 -
VALUES AND PRIORITIES 31. Being thought of as ethical and honorable National Data
Unimportant Important Total Overall Responses 1150
5% 20699 95%
Gen
der
Total 1097 5%
20100 95%
Male 621 6%
9043 94%
Female 470 4%
10724 96%
Gra
de
Total 1099 5%
19877 95%
9th Grade 299 5%
5522 95%
10th Grade 289 5%
5132 95%
11th Grade 286 5%
5153 95%
12th Grade 223 5%
4068 95%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 268 3%
7498 97%
Male 168 4%
3777 96%
Female 97 3%
3551 97%
Var
sity
spo
rts No
Gen
der
Total 802 6%
12123 94%
Male 436 8%
5018 92%
Female 363 5%
6950 95%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 559 3%
15483 97%
Male 299 4%
6669 96%
Female 254 3%
8513 97%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 504 11%
4127 89%
Male 303 13%
2102 87%
Female 201 9%
2000 91%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 357 3%
10729 97%
Male 201 4%
4314 96%
Female 153 2%
6181 98%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 706 7%
8835 93%
Male 401 8%
4433 92%
Female 302 7%
4310 93%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 35 -
VALUES AND PRIORITIES 32. My religion National Data
Unimportant Important Total Overall Responses 4299
21% 16152 79%
Gen
der
Total 4156 21%
15674 79%
Male 2251 25%
6803 75%
Female 1853 18%
8589 82%
Gra
de
Total 4121 21%
15512 79%
9th Grade 1000 18%
4502 82%
10th Grade 1035 20%
4026 80%
11th Grade 1146 23%
3923 77%
12th Grade 938 23%
3059 77%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 1234 17%
6079 83%
Male 714 19%
3005 81%
Female 501 15%
2923 85%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 2826 23%
9213 77%
Male 1482 29%
3607 71%
Female 1312 19%
5482 81%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 2504 17%
12655 83%
Male 1293 20%
5321 80%
Female 1167 14%
7077 86%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 1552 37%
2628 63%
Male 898 41%
1274 59%
Female 647 33%
1335 67%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 2121 21%
8169 79%
Male 1050 25%
3161 75%
Female 1037 18%
4810 82%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 1931 21%
7062 79%
Male 1133 25%
3410 75%
Female 781 18%
3574 82%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 36 -
VALUES AND PRIORITIES 33. Helping others National Data
Unimportant Important Total Overall Responses 562
2% 21933 98%
Gen
der
Total 539 2%
21281 98%
Male 376 4%
9507 96%
Female 158 1%
11434 99%
Gra
de
Total 530 2%
21059 98%
9th Grade 145 2%
5860 98%
10th Grade 134 2%
5458 98%
11th Grade 135 2%
5474 98%
12th Grade 115 3%
4266 97%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 152 2%
7769 98%
Male 109 3%
3908 97%
Female 41 1%
3687 99%
Var
sity
spo
rts No
Gen
der
Total 376 3%
13008 97%
Male 258 5%
5338 95%
Female 115 2%
7512 98%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 232 1%
16199 99%
Male 160 2%
6944 98%
Female 69 1%
8947 99%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 294 6%
4558 94%
Male 206 8%
2274 92%
Female 86 4%
2259 96%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 199 2%
11105 98%
Male 137 3%
4441 97%
Female 61 1%
6422 99%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 325 3%
9605 97%
Male 227 5%
4753 95%
Female 94 2%
4761 98%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 37 -
VALUES AND PRIORITIES 34. Having trusting personal relationships National Data
Unimportant Important Total Overall Responses 416
2% 22068 98%
Gen
der
Total 398 2%
21409 98%
Male 275 3%
9613 97%
Female 121 1%
11453 99%
Gra
de
Total 397 2%
21189 98%
9th Grade 111 2%
5907 98%
10th Grade 92 2%
5482 98%
11th Grade 109 2%
5495 98%
12th Grade 84 2%
4302 98%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 144 2%
7790 98%
Male 104 3%
3928 97%
Female 39 1%
3686 99%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 240 2%
13115 98%
Male 161 3%
5424 97%
Female 78 1%
7532 99%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 216 1%
16199 99%
Male 150 2%
6954 98%
Female 64 1%
8935 99%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 167 3%
4682 97%
Male 115 5%
2365 95%
Female 52 2%
2291 98%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 140 1%
11150 99%
Male 90 2%
4491 98%
Female 49 1%
6418 99%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 244 2%
9680 98%
Male 174 3%
4803 97%
Female 69 1%
4782 99%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 38 -
VALUES AND PRIORITIES 35. Treating others with respect National Data
Unimportant Important Total Overall Responses 358
2% 22236 98%
Gen
der
Total 340 2%
21568 98%
Male 231 2%
9708 98%
Female 108 1%
11515 99%
Gra
de
Total 340 2%
21343 98%
9th Grade 116 2%
5923 98%
10th Grade 87 2%
5523 98%
11th Grade 82 1%
5554 99%
12th Grade 54 1%
4339 99%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 115 1%
7836 99%
Male 82 2%
3956 98%
Female 32 1%
3704 99%
Var
sity
spo
rts No
Gen
der
Total 214 2%
13224 98%
Male 143 3%
5488 97%
Female 71 1%
7575 99%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 162 1%
16308 99%
Male 119 2%
7009 98%
Female 42 *
8988 100%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 164 3%
4732 97%
Male 105 4%
2404 96%
Female 59 2%
2301 98%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 106 1%
11221 99%
Male 75 2%
4528 98%
Female 31 *
6450 100%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 220 2%
9768 98%
Male 147 3%
4860 97%
Female 72 1%
4813 99%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 39 -
VALUES AND PRIORITIES 36. Being treated with respect National Data
Unimportant Important Total Overall Responses 314
1% 22300 99%
Gen
der
Total 298 1%
21630 99%
Male 212 2%
9726 98%
Female 84 1%
11560 99%
Gra
de
Total 295 1%
21411 99%
9th Grade 102 2%
5955 98%
10th Grade 73 1%
5534 99%
11th Grade 67 1%
5569 99%
12th Grade 51 1%
4351 99%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 85 1%
7869 99%
Male 58 1%
3980 99%
Female 26 1%
3713 99%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 202 2%
13250 98%
Male 145 3%
5482 97%
Female 56 1%
7608 99%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 152 1%
16329 99%
Male 102 1%
7023 99%
Female 49 1%
8995 99%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 133 3%
4772 97%
Male 101 4%
2410 96%
Female 31 1%
2336 99%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 116 1%
11218 99%
Male 78 2%
4520 98%
Female 37 1%
6456 99%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 171 2%
9830 98%
Male 126 3%
4885 97%
Female 44 1%
4850 99%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 40 -
VALUES AND PRIORITIES 37. Getting into college National Data
Unimportant Important Total Overall Responses 645
3% 21644 97%
Gen
der
Total 607 3%
21008 97%
Male 429 4%
9313 96%
Female 176 2%
11351 98%
Gra
de
Total 610 3%
20781 97%
9th Grade 177 3%
5785 97%
10th Grade 146 3%
5388 97%
11th Grade 152 3%
5388 97%
12th Grade 133 3%
4217 97%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 166 2%
7749 98%
Male 130 3%
3876 97%
Female 36 1%
3696 99%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 427 3%
12756 97%
Male 287 5%
5180 95%
Female 138 2%
7417 98%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 307 2%
16058 98%
Male 219 3%
6831 97%
Female 87 1%
8916 99%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 281 6%
4435 94%
Male 194 8%
2202 92%
Female 86 4%
2207 96%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 150 1%
11112 99%
Male 98 2%
4448 98%
Female 50 1%
6423 99%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 434 4%
9331 96%
Male 311 6%
4562 94%
Female 123 3%
4673 97%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 41 -
VALUES AND PRIORITIES 38. Being famous National Data
Unimportant Important Total Overall Responses 13054
61% 8430 39%
Gen
der
Total 12720 61%
8123 39%
Male 4720 50%
4735 50%
Female 7759 70%
3308 30%
Gra
de
Total 12584 61%
8044 39%
9th Grade 3199 56%
2533 44%
10th Grade 3252 61%
2081 39%
11th Grade 3366 63%
1998 37%
12th Grade 2764 66%
1430 34%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 4439 58%
3184 42%
Male 1814 47%
2069 53%
Female 2502 70%
1076 30%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 8013 63%
4712 37%
Male 2793 53%
2523 47%
Female 5108 70%
2149 30%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 9613 61%
6118 39%
Male 3350 49%
3462 51%
Female 6050 70%
2580 30%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 2840 62%
1754 38%
Male 1249 53%
1106 47%
Female 1568 71%
645 29%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 6910 64%
3933 36%
Male 2283 52%
2109 48%
Female 4461 72%
1765 28%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 5511 58%
3923 42%
Male 2300 48%
2449 52%
Female 3141 68%
1454 32%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 42 -
VALUES AND PRIORITIES 39. Living up to the standards of my religion National Data
Unimportant Important Total Overall Responses 4843
24% 14975 76%
Gen
der
Total 4691 24%
14522 76%
Male 2403 27%
6387 73%
Female 2221 22%
7874 78%
Gra
de
Total 4657 24%
14368 76%
9th Grade 1085 20%
4270 80%
10th Grade 1153 24%
3731 76%
11th Grade 1320 27%
3584 73%
12th Grade 1098 28%
2780 72%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 1361 19%
5749 81%
Male 740 20%
2883 80%
Female 595 18%
2726 82%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 3225 28%
8412 72%
Male 1605 33%
3323 67%
Female 1580 24%
4974 76%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 2829 19%
11877 81%
Male 1366 21%
5070 79%
Female 1406 18%
6568 82%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 1751 43%
2284 57%
Male 970 46%
1127 54%
Female 772 40%
1140 60%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 2340 23%
7684 77%
Male 1101 27%
3007 73%
Female 1195 21%
4492 79%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 2233 26%
6432 74%
Male 1231 28%
3162 72%
Female 980 23%
3198 77%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 43 -
VALUES AND PRIORITIES 40. Pleasing my parents National Data
Unimportant Important Total Overall Responses 1588
7% 20557 93%
Gen
der
Total 1522 7%
19949 93%
Male 854 9%
8873 91%
Female 657 6%
10741 94%
Gra
de
Total 1509 7%
19744 93%
9th Grade 389 7%
5561 93%
10th Grade 362 7%
5110 93%
11th Grade 431 8%
5086 92%
12th Grade 325 8%
3984 92%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 398 5%
7421 95%
Male 249 6%
3716 94%
Female 144 4%
3533 96%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 1092 8%
12048 92%
Male 585 11%
4908 89%
Female 501 7%
6985 93%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 886 5%
15311 95%
Male 485 7%
6513 93%
Female 392 4%
8495 96%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 597 13%
4146 87%
Male 344 14%
2086 86%
Female 251 11%
2035 89%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 669 6%
10486 94%
Male 353 8%
4166 92%
Female 311 5%
6082 95%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 813 8%
8921 92%
Male 475 10%
4409 90%
Female 332 7%
4422 93%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 44 -
HAVE YOU DONE THESE THINGS? 41. Lied to a parent about something significant National Data
Never Only Once Two or More Times Total Overall Responses 5462
24% 6370 28%
11096 48%
Gen
der
Total 5308 24%
6204 28%
10707 48%
Male 2596 25%
2581 25%
5014 49%
Female 2643 23%
3528 30%
5514 47%
Gra
de
Total 5210 24%
6150 28%
10625 48%
9th Grade 1507 25%
1891 31%
2751 45%
10th Grade 1301 23%
1665 29%
2695 48%
11th Grade 1349 24%
1484 26%
2866 50%
12th Grade 1051 24%
1110 25%
2310 52%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 1944 24%
2313 29%
3767 47%
Male 1054 26%
1073 26%
1982 48%
Female 858 23%
1196 32%
1685 45%
Var
sity
spo
rts No
Gen
der
Total 3231 24%
3758 28%
6670 49%
Male 1473 25%
1440 25%
2883 50%
Female 1722 22%
2270 29%
3712 48%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 4065 25%
4857 29%
7653 46%
Male 1873 26%
1917 27%
3429 47%
Female 2131 24%
2850 32%
4066 45%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 1096 22%
1218 24%
2765 54%
Male 636 24%
595 22%
1417 54%
Female 453 19%
620 26%
1331 55%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 3075 27%
3370 30%
4941 43%
Male 1354 29%
1227 26%
2074 45%
Female 1665 26%
2072 32%
2754 42%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 2076 20%
2686 26%
5454 53%
Male 1156 22%
1275 25%
2755 53%
Female 908 18%
1389 28%
2637 53%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 45 -
HAVE YOU DONE THESE THINGS? 42. Lied to a teacher about something significant National Data
Never Only Once Two or More Times Total Overall Responses 10322
45% 5988 26%
6628 29%
Gen
der
Total 10036 45%
5823 26%
6371 29%
Male 4145 41%
2424 24%
3633 36%
Female 5719 49%
3294 28%
2672 23%
Gra
de
Total 9892 45%
5777 26%
6326 29%
9th Grade 2824 46%
1652 27%
1682 27%
10th Grade 2548 45%
1525 27%
1599 28%
11th Grade 2573 45%
1488 26%
1632 29%
12th Grade 1946 44%
1111 25%
1410 32%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 3649 45%
2099 26%
2272 28%
Male 1657 40%
990 24%
1458 36%
Female 1904 51%
1055 28%
779 21%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 6170 45%
3569 26%
3937 29%
Male 2390 41%
1351 23%
2070 36%
Female 3698 48%
2171 28%
1838 24%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 7884 48%
4422 27%
4282 26%
Male 3095 43%
1771 25%
2361 33%
Female 4630 51%
2557 28%
1865 21%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 1922 38%
1251 25%
1906 38%
Male 935 35%
563 21%
1153 43%
Female 977 41%
679 28%
745 31%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 5880 52%
2883 25%
2628 23%
Male 2203 47%
1068 23%
1385 30%
Female 3548 55%
1744 27%
1203 19%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 3914 38%
2771 27%
3540 35%
Male 1825 35%
1255 24%
2116 41%
Female 2048 42%
1485 30%
1400 28%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 46 -
HAVE YOU DONE THESE THINGS? 43. Copied an Internet document for a classroom assignment National Data
Never Only Once Two or More Times Total Overall Responses 15670
68% 3639 16%
3636 16%
Gen
der
Total 15240 69%
3498 16%
3494 16%
Male 6463 63%
1691 17%
2040 20%
Female 8496 73%
1767 15%
1434 12%
Gra
de
Total 15043 68%
3464 16%
3493 16%
9th Grade 4318 70%
992 16%
842 14%
10th Grade 3953 70%
880 16%
841 15%
11th Grade 3823 67%
903 16%
972 17%
12th Grade 2946 66%
689 15%
836 19%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 5519 69%
1200 15%
1299 16%
Male 2607 64%
645 16%
850 21%
Female 2769 74%
536 14%
436 12%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 9364 68%
2203 16%
2114 15%
Male 3687 63%
985 17%
1137 20%
Female 5546 72%
1198 16%
970 13%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 11748 71%
2494 15%
2359 14%
Male 4775 66%
1120 15%
1333 18%
Female 6713 74%
1346 15%
1007 11%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 3135 62%
893 18%
1039 21%
Male 1505 57%
499 19%
641 24%
Female 1615 67%
383 16%
397 17%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 8343 73%
1540 14%
1515 13%
Male 3194 69%
649 14%
814 17%
Female 4943 76%
872 13%
688 11%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 6514 64%
1836 18%
1874 18%
Male 3075 59%
963 19%
1155 22%
Female 3370 68%
853 17%
712 14%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 47 -
HAVE YOU DONE THESE THINGS? 44. Cheated during a test at school National Data
Never Only Once Two or More Times Total Overall Responses 11131
49% 5410 24%
6371 28%
Gen
der
Total 10813 49%
5258 24%
6129 28%
Male 4851 48%
2264 22%
3074 30%
Female 5756 49%
2911 25%
3004 26%
Gra
de
Total 10623 48%
5228 24%
6116 28%
9th Grade 3128 51%
1551 25%
1461 24%
10th Grade 2733 48%
1365 24%
1577 28%
11th Grade 2655 47%
1343 24%
1695 30%
12th Grade 2105 47%
969 22%
1380 31%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 3742 47%
1991 25%
2287 29%
Male 1827 44%
969 24%
1310 32%
Female 1815 49%
978 26%
947 25%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 6829 50%
3123 23%
3693 27%
Male 2892 50%
1223 21%
1682 29%
Female 3836 50%
1864 24%
1990 26%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 8329 50%
3993 24%
4244 26%
Male 3546 49%
1637 23%
2038 28%
Female 4592 51%
2286 25%
2161 24%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 2245 44%
1107 22%
1718 34%
Male 1164 44%
545 21%
938 35%
Female 1071 45%
551 23%
774 32%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 6013 53%
2522 22%
2850 25%
Male 2388 51%
968 21%
1301 28%
Female 3466 53%
1506 23%
1519 23%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 4535 44%
2566 25%
3101 30%
Male 2315 45%
1201 23%
1668 32%
Female 2177 44%
1333 27%
1412 29%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 48 -
HAVE YOU DONE THESE THINGS? 45. Copied another's homework National Data
Never Only Once Two or More Times Total Overall Responses 5762
25% 5366 23%
11796 51%
Gen
der
Total 5588 25%
5208 23%
11418 51%
Male 2800 27%
2116 21%
5276 52%
Female 2718 23%
3000 26%
5961 51%
Gra
de
Total 5476 25%
5152 23%
11351 52%
9th Grade 1613 26%
1613 26%
2918 47%
10th Grade 1348 24%
1389 24%
2936 52%
11th Grade 1375 24%
1264 22%
3058 54%
12th Grade 1139 26%
885 20%
2436 55%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 1852 23%
1894 24%
4265 53%
Male 1015 25%
866 21%
2218 54%
Female 802 21%
987 26%
1946 52%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 3597 26%
3200 23%
6868 50%
Male 1707 29%
1197 21%
2902 50%
Female 1858 24%
1954 25%
3889 50%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 4201 25%
4064 25%
8319 50%
Male 1997 28%
1557 22%
3673 51%
Female 2137 24%
2422 27%
4489 50%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 1243 25%
1033 20%
2790 55%
Male 712 27%
500 19%
1429 54%
Female 530 22%
527 22%
1341 56%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 2944 26%
2636 23%
5804 51%
Male 1323 28%
890 19%
2436 52%
Female 1563 24%
1679 26%
3253 50%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 2483 24%
2446 24%
5283 52%
Male 1385 27%
1162 22%
2646 51%
Female 1088 22%
1260 26%
2575 52%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 49 -
HAVE YOU DONE THESE THINGS? 46. Stole something from parents or relatives National Data
Never Only Once Two or More Times Total Overall Responses 18771
82% 2323 10%
1848 8%
Gen
der
Total 18228 82%
2242 10%
1767 8%
Male 8063 79%
1124 11%
1011 10%
Female 9889 85%
1075 9%
732 6%
Gra
de
Total 18028 82%
2218 10%
1755 8%
9th Grade 4931 80%
688 11%
540 9%
10th Grade 4643 82%
591 10%
444 8%
11th Grade 4722 83%
549 10%
418 7%
12th Grade 3730 83%
389 9%
351 8%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 6680 83%
749 9%
593 7%
Male 3297 80%
421 10%
385 9%
Female 3238 87%
305 8%
199 5%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 11111 81%
1444 11%
1124 8%
Male 4541 78%
672 12%
598 10%
Female 6444 84%
755 10%
511 7%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 13867 84%
1604 10%
1126 7%
Male 5842 81%
781 11%
606 8%
Female 7770 86%
786 9%
503 6%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 3907 77%
583 11%
586 12%
Male 1971 74%
306 12%
371 14%
Female 1919 80%
274 11%
208 9%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 9793 86%
936 8%
678 6%
Male 3900 84%
410 9%
349 7%
Female 5689 87%
503 8%
315 5%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 7945 78%
1241 12%
1029 10%
Male 3897 75%
670 13%
625 12%
Female 3979 81%
555 11%
394 8%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 50 -
HAVE YOU DONE THESE THINGS? 47. Stole something from a friend National Data
Never Only Once Two or More Times Total Overall Base 19679
86% 2039 9%
1246 5%
Gen
der
Total 19112 86%
1956 9%
1188 5%
Male 8298 81%
1119 11%
785 8%
Female 10512 90%
805 7%
393 3%
Gra
de
Total 18908 86%
1935 9%
1176 5%
9th Grade 5080 82%
697 11%
383 6%
10th Grade 4884 86%
504 9%
285 5%
11th Grade 4990 88%
423 7%
289 5%
12th Grade 3952 88%
310 7%
217 5%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 6929 86%
663 8%
439 5%
Male 3345 81%
438 11%
323 8%
Female 3422 91%
216 6%
110 3%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 11729 86%
1245 9%
715 5%
Male 4727 81%
648 11%
436 8%
Female 6868 89%
576 7%
275 4%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 14464 87%
1406 8%
756 5%
Male 5966 82%
777 11%
496 7%
Female 8223 91%
602 7%
252 3%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 4179 82%
499 10%
390 8%
Male 2079 79%
306 12%
258 10%
Female 2078 87%
190 8%
130 5%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 10147 89%
836 7%
440 4%
Male 3938 84%
450 10%
278 6%
Female 5984 92%
372 6%
160 2%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 8460 83%
1056 10%
702 7%
Male 4094 79%
623 12%
472 9%
Female 4293 87%
417 8%
223 5%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 51 -
HAVE YOU DONE THESE THINGS? 48. Stole something from a store National Data
Never Only Once Two or More Times Total Overall Responses 18311
80% 2472 11%
2158 9%
Gen
der
Total 17796 80%
2381 11%
2055 9%
Male 7814 77%
1185 12%
1200 12%
Female 9671 83%
1169 10%
848 7%
Gra
de
Total 17589 80%
2368 11%
2037 9%
9th Grade 4999 81%
660 11%
494 8%
10th Grade 4606 81%
595 11%
460 8%
11th Grade 4488 79%
628 11%
585 10%
12th Grade 3493 78%
485 11%
496 11%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 6602 82%
797 10%
625 8%
Male 3212 78%
461 11%
432 11%
Female 3227 86%
323 9%
192 5%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 10783 79%
1517 11%
1371 10%
Male 4396 76%
686 12%
726 12%
Female 6246 81%
818 11%
639 8%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 13819 83%
1601 10%
1184 7%
Male 5802 80%
760 11%
671 9%
Female 7733 85%
819 9%
508 6%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 3551 70%
713 14%
798 16%
Male 1783 67%
385 15%
475 18%
Female 1747 73%
324 14%
321 13%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 9752 85%
952 8%
713 6%
Male 3875 83%
416 9%
374 8%
Female 5653 87%
521 8%
336 5%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 7591 74%
1347 13%
1261 12%
Male 3700 71%
718 14%
767 15%
Female 3810 77%
618 13%
490 10%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 52 -
HAVE YOU DONE THESE THINGS? 49. Bullied, teased, or taunted someone National Data
Never Only Once Two or More Times Total Overall Responses 13913
61% 4722 21%
4254 19%
Gen
der
Total 13522 61%
4572 21%
4087 18%
Male 5538 54%
2182 21%
2457 24%
Female 7771 67%
2315 20%
1576 14%
Gra
de
Total 13369 61%
4527 21%
4048 18%
9th Grade 3526 57%
1437 23%
1170 19%
10th Grade 3484 62%
1201 21%
970 17%
11th Grade 3493 61%
1110 20%
1081 19%
12th Grade 2865 64%
778 17%
824 18%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 4805 60%
1666 21%
1536 19%
Male 2192 53%
876 21%
1031 25%
Female 2502 67%
755 20%
476 13%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 8404 62%
2799 21%
2436 18%
Male 3197 55%
1252 22%
1345 23%
Female 5112 67%
1508 20%
1066 14%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 10257 62%
3429 21%
2877 17%
Male 3953 55%
1569 22%
1695 23%
Female 6107 68%
1800 20%
1131 13%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 2932 58%
1029 20%
1093 22%
Male 1405 53%
555 21%
678 26%
Female 1517 63%
460 19%
412 17%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 7254 64%
2196 19%
1924 17%
Male 2611 56%
926 20%
1111 24%
Female 4490 69%
1221 19%
776 12%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 5910 58%
2250 22%
2032 20%
Male 2733 53%
1188 23%
1259 24%
Female 3122 64%
1038 21%
756 15%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 53 -
HAVE YOU DONE THESE THINGS? 50. Used racial slurs or insults National Data
Never Only Once Two or More Times Total Overall Responses 14760
64% 2970 13%
5188 23%
Gen
der
Total 14327 65%
2879 13%
5004 23%
Male 5586 55%
1390 14%
3205 31%
Female 8495 73%
1439 12%
1751 15%
Gra
de
Total 14181 65%
2850 13%
4941 22%
9th Grade 3957 64%
908 15%
1274 21%
10th Grade 3664 65%
740 13%
1258 22%
11th Grade 3642 64%
714 13%
1340 24%
12th Grade 2916 65%
488 11%
1066 24%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 5099 64%
1074 13%
1846 23%
Male 2197 54%
593 14%
1314 32%
Female 2775 74%
453 12%
511 14%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 8898 65%
1716 13%
3043 22%
Male 3238 56%
751 13%
1805 31%
Female 5547 72%
945 12%
1211 16%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 10972 66%
2134 13%
3478 21%
Male 4029 56%
996 14%
2193 30%
Female 6717 74%
1093 12%
1246 14%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 3011 59%
653 13%
1400 28%
Male 1385 52%
344 13%
915 35%
Female 1611 67%
306 13%
476 20%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 7655 67%
1334 12%
2411 21%
Male 2615 56%
564 12%
1477 32%
Female 4862 75%
736 11%
905 14%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 6303 62%
1444 14%
2452 24%
Male 2782 54%
774 15%
1623 31%
Female 3458 70%
656 13%
810 16%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 54 -
HAVE YOU DONE THESE THINGS? 51. Mistreated someone because he or she belonged to a different group National Data
Never Only Once Two or More Times Total Overall Responses 19096
83% 2011 9%
1790 8%
Gen
der
Total 18555 84%
1938 9%
1696 8%
Male 8064 79%
970 10%
1138 11%
Female 10205 87%
928 8%
542 5%
Gra
de
Total 18354 84%
1928 9%
1676 8%
9th Grade 5081 83%
608 10%
449 7%
10th Grade 4786 85%
487 9%
386 7%
11th Grade 4738 83%
468 8%
480 8%
12th Grade 3746 84%
365 8%
359 8%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 6644 83%
738 9%
622 8%
Male 3217 79%
417 10%
459 11%
Female 3273 88%
307 8%
156 4%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 11478 84%
1149 8%
1022 7%
Male 4629 80%
524 9%
642 11%
Female 6723 87%
601 8%
371 5%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 14061 85%
1426 9%
1083 7%
Male 5821 81%
686 10%
705 10%
Female 7981 88%
706 8%
363 4%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 4042 80%
462 9%
555 11%
Male 1996 76%
258 10%
387 15%
Female 2024 85%
200 8%
167 7%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 9790 86%
881 8%
708 6%
Male 3819 82%
379 8%
451 10%
Female 5765 89%
479 7%
247 4%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 8273 81%
995 10%
928 9%
Male 3980 77%
555 11%
641 12%
Female 4218 86%
425 9%
281 6%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 55 -
HAVE YOU DONE THESE THINGS? 52. Hit a person because I was angry National Data
Never Only Once Two or More Times Total Overall Responses 13069
57% 4436 19%
5396 24%
Gen
der
Total 12713 57%
4282 19%
5202 23%
Male 5127 50%
2127 21%
2923 29%
Female 7345 63%
2099 18%
2233 19%
Gra
de
Total 12576 57%
4251 19%
5139 23%
9th Grade 3221 53%
1314 21%
1599 26%
10th Grade 3275 58%
1112 20%
1275 23%
11th Grade 3302 58%
1050 18%
1337 24%
12th Grade 2776 62%
774 17%
926 21%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 4779 60%
1512 19%
1722 21%
Male 2089 51%
864 21%
1144 28%
Female 2566 69%
619 17%
555 15%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 7645 56%
2670 20%
3336 24%
Male 2892 50%
1213 21%
1692 29%
Female 4642 60%
1431 19%
1622 21%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 9876 60%
3180 19%
3520 21%
Male 3726 52%
1553 22%
1937 27%
Female 5934 66%
1577 17%
1540 17%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 2544 50%
998 20%
1520 30%
Male 1242 47%
515 19%
885 33%
Female 1283 54%
478 20%
632 26%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 7189 63%
2061 18%
2140 19%
Male 2586 56%
933 20%
1132 24%
Female 4432 68%
1087 17%
980 15%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 5194 51%
2110 21%
2892 28%
Male 2369 46%
1128 22%
1683 32%
Female 2761 56%
968 20%
1191 24%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 56 -
HAVE YOU DONE THESE THINGS? 53. Did things in violation of my religious beliefs National Data
Never Only Once Two or More Times Total Overall Responses 12511
56% 3124 14%
6889 31%
Gen
der
Total 12119 56%
3031 14%
6682 31%
Male 5480 55%
1203 12%
3309 33%
Female 6533 57%
1751 15%
3217 28%
Gra
de
Total 11963 55%
3015 14%
6629 31%
9th Grade 3443 57%
941 16%
1664 28%
10th Grade 3072 55%
807 15%
1677 30%
11th Grade 3106 55%
708 13%
1784 32%
12th Grade 2340 53%
558 13%
1502 34%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 4235 54%
1135 14%
2543 32%
Male 2129 53%
488 12%
1430 35%
Female 2056 56%
615 17%
1021 28%
Var
sity
spo
rts No
Gen
der
Total 7576 57%
1825 14%
3995 30%
Male 3183 56%
682 12%
1801 32%
Female 4339 57%
1101 15%
2133 28%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 8689 53%
2465 15%
5174 32%
Male 3682 52%
926 13%
2491 35%
Female 4910 55%
1468 16%
2546 29%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 3094 62%
491 10%
1368 28%
Male 1602 62%
241 9%
735 29%
Female 1485 63%
246 10%
617 26%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 5993 54%
1573 14%
3611 32%
Male 2440 54%
514 11%
1605 35%
Female 3477 54%
1009 16%
1895 30%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 5762 57%
1374 14%
2918 29%
Male 2834 56%
648 13%
1610 32%
Female 2900 60%
701 14%
1266 26%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 57 -
HAVE YOU DONE THESE THINGS? 54. Cheated or bent the rules to win in sports National Data
Never Only Once Two or More Times Total Overall Responses 18515
81% 2371 10%
2001 9%
Gen
der
Total 17996 81%
2283 10%
1903 9%
Male 7606 75%
1251 12%
1313 13%
Female 10086 86%
1006 9%
579 5%
Gra
de
Total 17778 81%
2270 10%
1904 9%
9th Grade 4859 79%
711 12%
571 9%
10th Grade 4577 81%
636 11%
441 8%
11th Grade 4660 82%
514 9%
514 9%
12th Grade 3679 82%
409 9%
377 8%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 6326 79%
912 11%
775 10%
Male 2972 72%
546 13%
583 14%
Female 3200 86%
350 9%
188 5%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 11251 82%
1309 10%
1078 8%
Male 4426 76%
668 12%
693 12%
Female 6683 87%
631 8%
378 5%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 13597 82%
1678 10%
1294 8%
Male 5457 76%
881 12%
879 12%
Female 7868 87%
773 9%
404 4%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 3970 79%
532 11%
553 11%
Male 1919 73%
324 12%
392 15%
Female 2026 85%
206 9%
161 7%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 9558 84%
1009 9%
829 7%
Male 3598 77%
497 11%
561 12%
Female 5739 88%
497 8%
264 4%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 7968 78%
1199 12%
1012 10%
Male 3763 73%
703 14%
705 14%
Female 4129 84%
485 10%
300 6%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 58 -
HAVE YOU DONE THESE THINGS? 55. Been bullied, teased, or taunted in a way that seriously upset me National Data
Never Only Once Two or More Times Total Overall Responses 11687
51% 4766 21%
6439 28%
Gen
der
Total 11319 51%
4620 21%
6246 28%
Male 5711 56%
1860 18%
2607 26%
Female 5442 47%
2671 23%
3551 30%
Gra
de
Total 11211 51%
4564 21%
6178 28%
9th Grade 2902 47%
1365 22%
1874 31%
10th Grade 2858 51%
1192 21%
1603 28%
11th Grade 2973 52%
1165 20%
1547 27%
12th Grade 2476 55%
842 19%
1152 26%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 4387 55%
1596 20%
2026 25%
Male 2469 60%
706 17%
925 23%
Female 1827 49%
842 23%
1064 29%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 6643 49%
2911 21%
4092 30%
Male 3076 53%
1102 19%
1619 28%
Female 3496 45%
1769 23%
2425 32%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 8423 51%
3497 21%
4650 28%
Male 4022 56%
1322 18%
1877 26%
Female 4252 47%
2094 23%
2694 30%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 2600 51%
997 20%
1460 29%
Male 1505 57%
475 18%
659 25%
Female 1082 45%
515 22%
794 33%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 6035 53%
2371 21%
2979 26%
Male 2689 58%
838 18%
1128 24%
Female 3222 50%
1467 23%
1800 28%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 4962 49%
2108 21%
3121 31%
Male 2821 54%
954 18%
1403 27%
Female 2102 43%
1133 23%
1683 34%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 59 -
HAVE YOU DONE THESE THINGS? 56. Suffered the prejudice of others National Data
Never Only Once Two or More Times Total Overall Responses 14569
64% 3334 15%
4918 22%
Gen
der
Total 14127 64%
3237 15%
4759 22%
Male 6550 65%
1343 13%
2252 22%
Female 7333 63%
1855 16%
2449 21%
Gra
de
Total 13988 64%
3194 15%
4709 22%
9th Grade 3902 64%
924 15%
1296 21%
10th Grade 3592 64%
857 15%
1178 21%
11th Grade 3651 64%
824 15%
1199 21%
12th Grade 2841 64%
589 13%
1033 23%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 5361 67%
1094 14%
1530 19%
Male 2747 67%
514 13%
825 20%
Female 2482 67%
559 15%
684 18%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 8406 62%
2069 15%
3133 23%
Male 3613 63%
791 14%
1374 24%
Female 4687 61%
1261 16%
1723 22%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 10487 63%
2461 15%
3575 22%
Male 4615 64%
944 13%
1635 23%
Female 5651 63%
1480 16%
1891 21%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 3272 65%
688 14%
1085 22%
Male 1729 66%
347 13%
559 21%
Female 1525 64%
340 14%
518 22%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 7145 63%
1691 15%
2524 22%
Male 2943 63%
589 13%
1111 24%
Female 4030 62%
1072 17%
1376 21%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 6580 65%
1450 14%
2126 21%
Male 3380 66%
702 14%
1078 21%
Female 3133 64%
740 15%
1028 21%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 60 -
FEELINGS ABOUT SCHOOL 57. I feel close to people at this school. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 2381
14% 15192 86%
Gen
der
Total 2297 13%
14760 87%
Male 917 12%
6922 88%
Female 1358 15%
7542 85%
Gra
de
Total 2272 13%
14599 87%
9th Grade 488 10%
4318 90%
10th Grade 561 13%
3736 87%
11th Grade 624 14%
3699 86%
12th Grade 597 17%
2844 83%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 603 9%
5953 91%
Male 282 8%
3072 92%
Female 314 10%
2726 90%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 1647 16%
8450 84%
Male 608 14%
3661 86%
Female 1024 18%
4655 82%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 1381 11%
11679 89%
Male 496 9%
5228 91%
Female 866 12%
6182 88%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 860 24%
2720 76%
Male 388 21%
1483 79%
Female 469 28%
1216 72%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 971 11%
8069 89%
Male 319 9%
3407 91%
Female 635 12%
4454 88%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 1262 17%
6297 83%
Male 561 15%
3284 85%
Female 696 19%
2931 81%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 61 -
FEELINGS ABOUT SCHOOL 58. I feel like I am part of this school. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 2822
16% 14483 84%
Gen
der
Total 2715 16%
14091 84%
Male 1180 15%
6567 85%
Female 1512 17%
7231 83%
Gra
de
Total 2694 16%
13922 84%
9th Grade 628 13%
4099 87%
10th Grade 711 17%
3540 83%
11th Grade 709 17%
3513 83%
12th Grade 644 19%
2770 81%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 646 10%
5918 90%
Male 309 9%
3068 91%
Female 330 11%
2690 89%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 2002 20%
7832 80%
Male 833 20%
3325 80%
Female 1154 21%
4381 79%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 1590 12%
11337 88%
Male 626 11%
5074 89%
Female 946 14%
5998 86%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 1043 30%
2407 70%
Male 506 28%
1299 72%
Female 533 33%
1086 67%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 1081 12%
7785 88%
Male 397 11%
3264 89%
Female 668 13%
4315 87%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 1554 21%
5927 79%
Male 734 19%
3091 81%
Female 814 23%
2755 77%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 62 -
FEELINGS ABOUT SCHOOL 59. I am happy to be at this school. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 3301
19% 13641 81%
Gen
der
Total 3173 19%
13254 81%
Male 1397 18%
6190 82%
Female 1753 21%
6776 79%
Gra
de
Total 3155 19%
13097 81%
9th Grade 805 17%
3848 83%
10th Grade 839 20%
3306 80%
11th Grade 804 19%
3340 81%
12th Grade 704 21%
2602 79%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 978 16%
5223 84%
Male 489 15%
2674 85%
Female 480 17%
2397 83%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 2120 22%
7706 78%
Male 871 21%
3345 79%
Female 1235 23%
4232 77%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 1990 16%
10507 84%
Male 800 15%
4705 85%
Female 1170 17%
5540 83%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 1091 31%
2415 69%
Male 547 30%
1294 70%
Female 541 33%
1101 67%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 1258 15%
7390 85%
Male 483 13%
3112 87%
Female 760 16%
4076 84%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 1815 25%
5504 75%
Male 861 23%
2870 77%
Female 946 27%
2554 73%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 63 -
FEELINGS ABOUT SCHOOL 60. The teachers at this school treat students fairly. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 3689
23% 12638 77%
Gen
der
Total 3539 22%
12287 78%
Male 1602 22%
5788 78%
Female 1915 24%
6228 76%
Gra
de
Total 3512 22%
12156 78%
9th Grade 1012 23%
3413 77%
10th Grade 956 25%
2939 75%
11th Grade 859 21%
3228 79%
12th Grade 682 21%
2576 79%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 1254 22%
4546 78%
Male 639 21%
2358 79%
Female 609 23%
2042 77%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 2204 23%
7438 77%
Male 921 22%
3267 78%
Female 1268 24%
4053 76%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 2424 20%
9533 80%
Male 1033 19%
4299 81%
Female 1374 22%
4987 78%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 1020 29%
2457 71%
Male 516 28%
1321 72%
Female 500 31%
1118 69%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 1535 19%
6707 81%
Male 621 18%
2854 82%
Female 902 20%
3656 80%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 1894 26%
5257 74%
Male 916 25%
2754 75%
Female 969 28%
2435 72%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 64 -
FEELINGS ABOUT SCHOOL 61. I feel safe in my school. National Data
Disagree Agree Total Overall Responses 2074
12% 15435 88%
Gen
der
Total 1985 12%
15021 88%
Male 1003 13%
6734 87%
Female 978 11%
7955 89%
Gra
de
Total 1975 12%
14834 88%
9th Grade 602 13%
4069 87%
10th Grade 535 13%
3703 87%
11th Grade 498 11%
3883 89%
12th Grade 337 10%
3179 90%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 602 9%
5859 91%
Male 340 10%
2948 90%
Female 260 9%
2740 91%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 1323 13%
8807 87%
Male 627 15%
3607 85%
Female 694 12%
5046 88%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 1227 9%
11743 91%
Male 570 10%
5068 90%
Female 653 9%
6374 91%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 690 19%
2916 81%
Male 391 21%
1471 79%
Female 299 17%
1420 83%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 695 8%
8380 92%
Male 309 8%
3400 92%
Female 383 7%
4744 93%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 1214 16%
6245 84%
Male 648 17%
3120 83%
Female 565 16%
3035 84%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 65 -
62. If people you know were asked to list the most ethical people they know, how many would put you on their list? National Data
None Almost None Half Most Almost All
Total Overall Responses 1466 7%
2542 11%
6350 28%
8727 39%
3301 15%
Gen
der
Total 1394 6%
2481 11%
6145 28%
8479 39%
3207 15%
Male 822 8%
1263 13%
2810 28%
3647 37%
1414 14%
Female 566 5%
1185 10%
3220 28%
4683 41%
1762 15%
Gra
de
Total 1374 6%
2460 11%
6090 28%
8378 39%
3185 15%
9th Grade 364 6%
746 12%
1692 28%
2317 39%
877 15%
10th Grade 350 6%
602 11%
1617 29%
2219 40%
750 14%
11th Grade 368 7%
621 11%
1566 28%
2170 39%
841 15%
12th Grade 291 7%
491 11%
1213 28%
1671 38%
716 16%
Var
sity
sp
orts
Yes
Gen
der
Total 400 5%
845 11%
2217 28%
3156 40%
1237 16%
Male 263 7%
461 11%
1142 28%
1526 38%
640 16%
Female 136 4%
367 10%
1011 28%
1556 43%
584 16%
Var
sity
spo
rts No
Gen
der
Total 951 7%
1578 12%
3789 28%
5131 38%
1893 14%
Male 532 9%
763 13%
1604 28%
2018 36%
735 13%
Female 415 6%
800 11%
2135 28%
3043 40%
1140 15%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 756 5%
1731 11%
4608 28%
6631 41%
2510 15%
Male 442 6%
846 12%
2041 29%
2692 38%
1058 15%
Female 311 4%
857 10%
2464 28%
3803 43%
1421 16%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 585 12%
697 14%
1401 28%
1627 33%
622 13%
Male 343 13%
384 15%
702 27%
829 32%
311 12%
Female 240 10%
309 13%
687 29%
790 34%
311 13%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 461 4%
1200 11%
3069 27%
4689 42%
1778 16%
Male 262 6%
550 12%
1316 29%
1773 39%
686 15%
Female 198 3%
630 10%
1674 26%
2807 44%
1066 17%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 881 9%
1219 12%
2913 29%
3569 36%
1342 14%
Male 522 10%
673 13%
1411 28%
1753 35%
676 13%
Female 355 7%
534 11%
1466 31%
1780 37%
662 14%
Report Card 2012: The Ethics of American Youth
Josephson Institute ©2012. “CHARACTER COUNTS!” is a registered trademark of Josephson Institute. CharacterCounts.org | 800-711-2670
- 66 -
63. How many questions on this survey did you answer with complete honesty? National Data
All but 6-10 All but 3-5 All but 1 or 2 All
Total Overall Responses 1041 5%
1928 9%
3843 17%
15725 70%
Gen
der
Total 990 5%
1876 9%
3739 17%
15255 70%
Male 571 6%
866 9%
1632 16%
6921 69%
Female 410 4%
972 8%
2010 17%
8141 71%
Gra
de
Total 982 5%
1843 9%
3686 17%
15118 70%
9th Grade 258 4%
502 8%
1149 19%
4112 68%
10th Grade 260 5%
531 9%
1015 18%
3785 68%
11th Grade 262 5%
443 8%
886 16%
4002 72%
12th Grade 202 5%
367 8%
636 14%
3215 73%
Var
sity
spo
rts Yes
Gen
der
Total 354 4%
694 9%
1403 18%
5456 69%
Male 226 6%
358 9%
688 17%
2757 68%
Female 123 3%
323 9%
663 18%
2597 70%
Var
sity
sp
orts
No
Gen
der
Total 598 4%
1138 8%
2266 17%
9443 70%
Male 323 6%
483 8%
906 16%
3982 70%
Female 271 4%
631 8%
1318 17%
5374 71%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s Yes
Gen
der
Total 641 4%
1400 9%
2950 18%
11368 69%
Male 351 5%
621 9%
1230 17%
4903 69%
Female 283 3%
746 8%
1633 18%
6289 70%
You
th a
ctiv
itie
s No
Gen
der
Total 306 6%
426 9%
722 15%
3511 71%
Male 189 7%
212 8%
360 14%
1819 71%
Female 115 5%
210 9%
355 15%
1678 71%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
Yes
Gen
der
Total 377 3%
1012 9%
2274 20%
7641 68%
Male 206 4%
423 9%
882 19%
3096 67%
Female 167 3%
569 9%
1321 20%
4403 68%
Hon
ors/
AP
cl
asse
s
No
Gen
der
Total 565 6%
813 8%
1382 14%
7217 72%
Male 329 7%
412 8%
699 14%
3616 72%
Female 231 5%
384 8%
661 14%
3552 74%
