Wealth And Ethics Study Finds Rich People More Likely To Cheat
And Lie MONTREAL - A new study says rich people are more likely
to engage in unethical behaviour than their poorer counterparts
— like cutting off motorists, lying in a negotiation and
cheating to win a prize. That's the finding from researchers at
the University of California and the University of Toronto,
published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences of the United States of America. In two tests,
researchers found that upper-class drivers were more likely to
cut off other cars and pedestrians at crosswalks. The
researchers used age, vehicle make and appearance to assess
drivers' social class. In another series of tests involving
undergraduate students and adults, researchers found that those
who considered themselves "upper class" were more likely to take
valued items from others — including candy, even after they were
told that whatever was left over would be given to children.
Others exhibited a greater willingness to