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From the Desk of Bill Cirone...
May 14, 1999
Moral compasses prove pivotal
Some time ago, the Girl Scouts of America conducted a national survey on the beliefs and moral values of young people from fourth grade through high school, and it yielded very interesting insights on how young people reach decisions on moral issues.
One of the most interesting portions of the survey asked students what barometers they use for making decisions if they are unsure what is right or wrong in a given situation. The researchers identified and labeled six basic types of responses:
o "Civic humanists," which accounted for 23 percent of the sample, said they would "do what was best for everyone involved."
o "Conventionalists," which amounted to 20 percent of the sample, said they would "follow the advice of an authority, such as a parent, teacher or youth leader."
o "Expressivists," some l8 percent of the sample, said they would do what would "make them happy."
o "Theists," l6 percent of the sample, said they would "do what God or Scriptures say is right."
o "Utilitarians," some l0 percent of the sample, said they would "do what would improve" their own situations.
o Nine percent did not know, and three percent said they would follow their conscience. Margin of error is plus or minus three percent.
Asked their beliefs about lying, stealing, drug usage, abortion, job selection, and other diverse topics, the young people's "moral compasses," as described above by the authors, proved to be more important to the answer than background factors like economic status, gender, race, or religion, generally used by social scientists to account for behavior.
Generally speaking, those students who fell under the categories of theist, conventionalist, and civic humanist, were much more inclined than expressivists or utilitarians to avoid anti-social acts and to engage in altruistic ones, such as helping the homeless, giving to charity, and expressing unpopular opinions.
"Rich kids who are theists and poor kids who are theists have far more in common with each other in terms of their moral decision-making and their priorities than theists and utilitarians of the same socioeconomic group," Mr. Hunter said.
Actually, the religious element proved puzzling to analysts. Many of the young people who reported that they believe in God (82%), attend church weekly (56%), or claim to have had a life-altering religious experience (34%), did not fall within the l6% who chose God and Scriptures as their prime guide for moral decisions.
Many questions arise. How do students acquire these moral compasses? How do these stated beliefs relate to actual behavior?
As the authors stated, moral beliefs and values are rarely the private affair of the individual; they almost always have public consequences, even if unintended. The researchers are continuing their work, and their findings will be instructive for all of us who seek to understand young people and the citizens they will become.
© Santa Barbara County Education Office
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