|
|
|
November 13, 1998
|
Volume 6, Number 6 |
 |
About OCNCover
|
|
BOOKSU of S vice-president co-authors book on Canadian ethics
In A Question of Ethics: Canadians Speak Out (Oxford University Press), Maureen Mancuso, of Guelph University, and her four co-authors, including Michael Atkinson, U of S vice-president (academic), report that most Canadians say it's okay for politicians to lie to protect their privacy but not to misrepresent the truth on public matters. "Politicians will find their reputations surprisingly resilient to lies and evasions that have to do strictly with their private life," they say. "But lying about public affairs is a very dangerous game." The authors - who launched their study in 1996, well before the Clinton fiasco - found that more than 50% of respondents think that a politician should tell the media it's none of their business if, for example, they're seeing a marriage counselor. To gather their data, the researchers compiled a survey of answers to more than 80 questions that ranged from patronage and lying to conflict of interest and accepting gifts. A random group of 1,400 respondents across the country participated in the phone survey. The authors discovered the greatest division among respondents on ethical issues is generational. "The stereotypes like the persnickety senior and the permissive youth turn out to have a significant basis in reality." Older Canadians have stronger feelings about right and wrong; Generation Xers fall to the opposite extreme; and Baby Boomers fall in between these polarities. The authors also found that politicians have an image problem "worse than that of the most pampered celebrity or the most prima donna pro athlete." Canadians view politicians as having lower ethical standards than journalists and civil servants, members of the Senate ranking even lower than members of Parliament, they found.
For further information, visit the web site or contact communications@usask.ca
|
|
Next issue of On Campus News: Friday, November 27
Advertising |
