A SURVEY OF MORAL VALUES IN CSUN STUDENTS

LEO J. RAIN
October,1996


Background:
This study arose out of discussions in a class on Government Ethics given in the Political Science Department by Professor Phil Present.

Purpose:
To ascertain what students on this campus believe and how they behave, morally. Depending on the findings there could be some action required.

The Instrument:
The survey used was one that had been developed at the Josephson Institute of Ethics and had been used on approximately 10,000 subjects. It consisted of 117 questions which asked to grade responses with numbers corresponding to level of agreement or the number of times experienced. It ended with an open ended invitation to grade one's own ethics and need for any change. The results will be integrated and compared with, Josephson's nationwide findings.

Method:
The questionnaire was given to a total of 449 students in certain required classes to get as much of a cross-section of the campus as possible. Most of the classes used were Logic with gracious permission from each professor to take 15 to 20 minutes of their time. One large required class in Anthropology was questioned courtesy of Prof. Judith Marti, and another in Religion with the kind permission of Prof. Crerar Douglas. The results are statistically significant and were correlated by computer according to accepted social science
methodology.

Acknowledgements and gratitude to the following:
Prof. Linda Fidell, Department of Psychology, for help with statistics.
Prof. Ron McIntyre, chairperson, Department of Philosophy, for permission.
Prof. Oscar Marti, Department of Philosophy, for encouragement and guidance.
Prof. Phil Present, Department of Political Science, for encouragement and advice.
Michael Josephson, the Josephson Institute for Ethics, for permission and advice.
Professors Habib, Luckenbach, Marti, McGuinness, Paller, Rodewald, Salter, Stern and Yagisawa, all of the Department of Philosophy, generously offered their class time.

I alone am responsible for any errors.
Leo J. Rain.
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Highlights of the Survey

Cheating and Lying
82% believe that most people will cheat or lie to get what they want if they think they won't get caught.
47% believe that in today's society, one has to cheat or lie, at least occasionally, in order to succeed.
40% think it is not always wrong to cheat or lie to get what you want, or to help a friend or family member.
37% admitted that they did not answer all the questions with complete honesty.
36% of students admitted to cheating on exams
15% admitted to lying on a job interview or resume.

Stealing
3% admitted to stealing from a store in the past 12 months.
13% stole from parents or relatives in the past 12 months.
62% admitted to being drunk in the past 12 months.

Substance Abuse
30% admitted to the use of an illegal drug in the past 12 months.

Religion
80% value practicing and living their religion.

Citizenship
95% value staying informed about current affairs.
85% value voting at all elections. (Note that less than 6% of students voted in their own election).

Ethical Values
98% value having trusting personal relationships very important.
90% value being honest and trustworthy.
75% value being ethical in life and being respected for their ethics.
70% want jobs that help people.
54% are satisfied with their ethics and behavior.
18% thought it unimportant to be considered very ethical.

Race and Ethnicity Harassment
50% admitted to racial or ethnic jokes or comments in the past 12 months.
30% admitted to teasing or insulting another because of race, religion or ethnicity.
30% said that they were teased or insulted because of these factors.
23% said they were discriminated against because of color in the past 12 months.
13% said they were discriminated against as a white male in the past 12 months.
33% used physical force against another to protect self.
24% used physical force against another because of insult.
15% admit to carrying some form of weapon for protection.

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SHOULD WE BE SATISFIED WITH THESE FIGURES?
Michael Josephson says any number over 10% is worrisome. Any number over 20% is very serious.

SHOULD WE BE DOING ANYTHING ON THE CAMPUS? IF SO, WHAT? IS THERE A STRATEGY OF EDUCATION TO GET PEOPLE TO CHANGE?

OUTLINE OF SUGGESTED STRATEGIES:

Please email questions and comments to leo.rain@csun.edu