Sexes differ on meaning of dishonesty
SURVEY: 98pc of women say online cheating wrong, but just 74pc of men
DISHONESTY is not the clear-cut concept the criminal courts assume because it can vary from person to person and situation to situation, according to one of the biggest surveys of public attitudes to deceitful behaviour.
Women are more likely than men to categorise some behaviour as dishonest, although men are more likely than women to convict someone of a dishonest crime in a court of law.
romance
Nearly 97pc said taking a DVD from a shop was dishonest, yet only 58pc thought it dishonest to download pirated music, and 49pc said it was dishonest to buy a pirate DVD.
Only 43pc of people called it dishonest for a carer to try to persuade an elderly person to change their will in their favour. Twice as many thought it dishonest to wear a dress before returning it to the shop.
The study found 31pc of people thought it dishonest for someone to keep money found in the street, yet only 8pc would convict someone of theft for doing that if they were prosecuted.
Some 98pc of women considered it dishonest for a man to conduct an online romance behind his wife's back, but only 74pc of men agreed.
More seriously, the study into public attitudes to deceitful behaviour also found that people's different opinions on right and wrong could be affecting jury trials, which iin turn may affect a defendant's chances of being convicted.
The online study analysed the attitude of some 15,000 participants to 50 different scenarios that involved varying degrees of dishonest behaviour. The research was carried out by two British academic criminologists who wanted to test a central thesis of what constitutes dishonesty in law.
The law regards dishonesty as based legally upon the "ordinary standards of reasonable and honest people".
excuse
"The law is based on an assumption that the majority in society hold the same views about what conduct is dishonest," said Stefan Fafinski, a criminal lawyer involved in the study.
"Our research challenges that assumption.
"Female participants are more likely to excuse conduct by reference to the circumstances or character of the person involved."
hnews@herald.ie
- Steve Connor
