Upper class people more likely to cheat...
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Hey senior with the white cane...I'll just help you across the street
to your bank... |
To investigate how class relates to ethical conduct, the researchers surveyed the ethical tendencies of more than 1,000 individuals of lower-, middle- and upper-class backgrounds. Volunteers reported their social class using the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Socioeconomic Status and filled out surveys revealing their attitudes about unprincipled behaviors and greed. They also took part in tasks designed to measure their actual unethical behavior.
In two field studies on driving behavior, upper-class motorists were found to be four times more likely than the other drivers to cut off other vehicles at a busy four-way intersection and three times more likely to cut off a pedestrian waiting to enter a crosswalk. Another study found that upper-class participants presented with scenarios of unscrupulous behavior were more likely than the individuals in the other socio-economic classes to report replicating this type of behavior themselves...and...a jar of candy reserved for children was on hand, and all participating were allowed to take a candy or two. Upper-class participants helped themselves to twice as much candy as did their counterparts in other classes (physorg.com)
So..I guess to even things up a tad, we of lower station, can now kick some toff bloke in his goolies before nicking his wallet?
(Photo: Copyright Control).