UK – 80% Think It’s Ok To Steal From Work

Four out of five people see nothing wrong with stealing from their workplace – while more than half think it acceptable for a carer to persuade an elderly person to rewrite their will, according to a new study.

The fascinating insight into Britain’s ‘moral compass’ also found that one in three people have downloaded music illegally and 13 per cent have shoplifted.

The findings, from an online study of more than 15,000 people, suggest that the typical Briton is less honest and more confused than most people realise.

It also shows that the concept of honesty varies hugely from person to person.

Eight of 10 people who took part in the survey said it was dishonest for a woman to wear a dress for a party before returning it to the shop for a refund.

But only 43 per cent believed it was dishonest for a carer to try to persuade an elderly person to leave them something after their death.

The authors of the study commissioned for the British Science Festival in Guildford say the findings raise disturbing questions.

Dr Stefan Fafinski of Brunel University said: ‘The law is base upon an assumption that the majority of people in society hold the same views about what conduct is dishonest.

‘Our research challenges that assumption as we found that there is a great deal of disagreement among people even upon very basic situations such as finding money in the street or taking stationery home from work.’

via How 80% think it’s OK to steal from work as study reveals our wavering moral compass | Mail Online.