In releasing preliminary data from the 2000 “Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth,” a comprehensive national survey on the ethics of young people, Michael Josephson, founder and president of the Josephson Institute of Ethics and the CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition, called on politicians to recognize the vital importance of dealing with “shocking levels of moral illiteracy” as part of any educational reform package. Saying the survey data reveals “a hole in the moral ozone,” Josephson added: “Being sure children can read is certainly essential, but it is no less important that we deal with the alarming rate of cheating, lying and violence that threatens the very fabric of our society.”

The statement and data were released in conjunction with the seventh annual National CHARACTER COUNTS Week, October 15-21. Ron Kinnamon, Chairman of the CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition, pointed out, “There is a solution: more pervasive and proficient character education at home, at schools and on the sports fields. Character education is here to stay,” he added, “and it’s getting stronger and stronger.” The CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition was launched in 1993 with 27 organizations. Today, more than 450 national, regional and local organizations are members and millions of school children in over 2,000 schools and hundreds of youth groups are learning about the Six Pillars of Character — trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship.

The third week in October was designated by Congress as National CHARACTER COUNTS! Week to focus the nation’s attention on the importance of teaching, enforcing, advocating and modeling good character. The states of Arizona and Texas have recently launched statewide character-education initiatives using the CHARACTER COUNTS! model to train teachers to implement character programs in their schools.

Among the highlights of the preliminary results of the nationwide survey of 8,600 high school students:

·                     Cheating. 71% of all high school students admit they cheated on an exam at least once in the past 12 months (45% said they did so two or more times).

·                     Lying. 92% lied to their parents in the past 12 months (79% said they did so two or more times); 78% lied to a teacher (58% two or more times); more than one in four (27%) said they would lie to get a job.

·                     Stealing. 40% of males and 30% of females say they stole something from a store in the past 12 months.

·                     Drunk at School. Nearly one in six (16%) say they have been drunk in school during the past year (9% said they were drunk two or more times).

·                     Propensity Toward Violence. 68% say they hit someone because they were angry in the past year (46% did so at least twice), and nearly half (47%) said they could get a gun if they wanted to (for males: 60% say they could get a gun).

The full 2000 “Report Card” will be released later in a series of three reports: honesty and integrity, violence and responsibility, and values and attitudes.  The margin of error is +/- 3%.

In addition to producing the biennial “Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth,” the nonpartisan, nonsectarian, nonprofit Josephson Institute of Ethics operates programs in three principal areas:

·                     The CHARACTER COUNTS! Coalition is the nation’s largest comprehensive character education program for young people, reaching millions of young people through thousands of schools and youth groups across the country.

·                     CHARACTER COUNTS! Sports, founded in 1999, seeks through the “Pursuing Victory With Honor” campaign to return sportsmanship to all levels of nonprofessional sports. It has already earned the support of a majority of the “big time” college athletic programs.

·                     Through “Ethics in the Workplace” training programs and Mr. Josephson’s appearances and consultations, the Institute each year reaches thousands of leaders in business, government, journalism and law. Clients have included the CIA, FBI, IRS, a dozen state legislatures, many Fortune 500 companies, leading news media organizations, as well as judicial, legal and public safety organizations.

Click here to read the 1998 "Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth."