Honesty is not always the best policy, according to the majority of U of T students polled: they admit to telling a lie at least once a week. Why? Almost half say they tell white lies to protect another person, make someone feel better or spare their feelings. Eleven per cent of students say they utter untruths to avoid conflict or getting into trouble. A similar number use lies to embellish a story or “prove” a point; some make up excuses to get out of doing something; and a few are untruthful to avoid revealing something private about themselves.
14%
Every day
41%
Every week
29%
Every month
8%
Every year
8%
Never
This highly unscientific poll of 100 U of T members was conducted in February at Sidney Smith Hall on St. George Campus.
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