Britons Own Up To Being The World's Most Dishonest People

[CVX]

By Roger Dobson
The Independent - UK
8-1-4

Britons are among the world's most dishonest people, according to research that seems to undermine the country's long-held reputation for fair play.

British people are more likely to steal hotel towels and make false insurance claims than any other nationality, says the study, which puts us at the top of an international league for unethical behaviour. Restaurants, shops and workplaces are also fair game for dishonesty.

The researchers, from the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, say that the persistent cheating is costing industry millions.

They quizzed consumers in Europe, America and the Far East about their views on dishonest behaviour and discovered that British consumers have the worst attitude of all. The idea of taking towels from hotel bedrooms was particularly popular, and 40 per cent said it was all right to change the price tags on shopping items.

"The fact that half of Britons thought it OK to make a false insurance claim represents a huge cost to the economy and a challenge to that industry," says the report, published this week in the Journal of Consumer Marketing. "Consumer tolerance of unethical actions - up to and including outright theft - presents a depressing scenario, especially in the UK."

The researchers also found that, compared with other religions, Christians were most likely to favour unethical behaviour.

Those questioned were given 11 scenarios and asked to indicate the strength of their approval or disapproval. These included drinking a can of drink in a supermarket and not buying it; reporting a lost item as stolen to an insurance company to collect the money; changing price tags in stores; using an employer's telephone to make private calls; not saying anything when charged too little in a restaurant; taking towels from hotels; and renting a double-bed hotel room and using it for more than two people. The majority of British consumers said it was OK to cheat in eight of the 11 scenarios.

"We make great statements about our moral superiority - especially compared with wicked, rapacious Americans," say the researchers. "Yet, when it comes to basic ethics - making a clear distinction between right and wrong - we fall well behind standards in the USA."

Worldwide, the most objectionable behaviour is drinking a can in a supermarket without buying it. The most tolerable behaviour is taking towels from hotels. In the UK, it is estimated that up to 5 per cent of hotel towels go missing each year. And an online poll showed that one in five hotel guests admit stealing or considering stealing toiletries from the cleaning trolley.

The study said nationality, age and religion were significant predictors of how consumers viewed questionable behaviour, but that gender made no difference.

© 2004 Independent Digital (UK) Ltd

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/thi...p?story=546773

[illuminati]

Wow! This is a controversial report!

I'm sure there are segments of the American, European, Australian societies that would match toe-to-toe with the Brits.

[capt_buzzard]

I would not go along with that. I found Britons a very honest and upright people.

Now the Italians are known to rob you blind. Kosta Nostra indeed.

[anastrophe]

without details of the stats from other countries, it's just so much smoke. for example, it could very well be (on an arbitrary scale)


britain...41.7
france...41.2
spain....40.3
USA......40.1


get my drift? perhaps britons really are at the top, but compared to other countries, it's a tiny fractional lead.

i distrust most 'studies' like this. half the time they're just academics trying to find ways to get grants to dilly-dally about studying nonsense.

[anastrophe]

furthermore, since the study was done by manchester institute, in GB, one wonders if respondents were easier with their words speaking with someone with the same accent/idioms they're familiar with, while respondents in other countries, being quizzed by a foreigner, were much less willing to let down their guard so to speak.

[plazul]

The Brits may be a bit dishonest but I think they have the world's greatest sense of humor. Dry wit and understatement is their style. They also have a marvelous sense of the ridiculous and I think Monte Python really reflected that well.

And Brits are masters at funny facial expressions when they're delivering their jokes, digs, and one liners.

[capt_buzzard]

Originally Posted by plazul

The Brits may be a bit dishonest but I think they have the world's greatest sense of humor. Dry wit and understatement is their style. They also have a marvelous sense of the ridiculous and I think Monte Python really reflected that well.

And Brits are masters at funny facial expressions when they're delivering their jokes, digs, and one liners.

The Irish are more dishonest than the Brits. Its true the Brits are very dry and Yes,I can say that they have no sense of homor. They tend to laugh at every other country's misfortunes and We Irish have had a battering from them down the years. Poor Old Paddy's.

[Uncle Kram]

First off, the monogrammed towels merely reflect the fact that my quaint little house is named "Los Angeles Hilton", and secondly, I was very thirsty in Safeways.
Sure, some of this stuff goes on, but from my observations, not to the degree that is being suggested.
Imagine my funny facial expression when I started typing

[StupidCowboyTricks]

Originally Posted by Uncle Kram

First off, the monogrammed towels merely reflect the fact that my quaint little house is named "Los Angeles Hilton", and secondly, I was very thirsty in Safeways.
Sure, some of this stuff goes on, but from my observations, not to the degree that is being suggested.
Imagine my funny facial expression when I started typing

Cool ash tray collection you got there Kram.

[Uncle Kram]

Originally Posted by StupidCowboyTricks

Cool ash tray collection you got there Kram.

So many that I might have to give serious consideration to starting to smoke