Teens seek peers’ advice on ethics issues

Teens are far more likely to seek out their friends for help with ethical decisions than to ask a member of the clergy, a new national poll shows.

Eighty-three percent of teens said they would turn to their friends for help in making such choices, followed by their parents (68 percent), teachers (27 percent), the Internet (24 percent) and clergy (14 percent).

Harris Interactive conducted the poll for Junior Achievement, an organization focused on educating young people about business, and Deloitte & Touche, a major accounting firm.

The poll also showed that almost one-third of teens surveyed think they have to “bend the rules to succeed.” A smaller percentage – 20 percent – gave that answer in a similar poll last year.

“These poll results indicate that teens are getting mixed messages, so we continue to believe that ethics education must begin early, during formative years,” said Deloitte & Touche CEO James H. Quigley