The Demographics of Lying

Who lies? Apparently older people lie more than younger ones, according to a Harris survey that asked Americans about lying.

When asked whether they have ever lied to their parents, a substantial 61 percent of 18-to-34-year-olds admitted lying to their parents at some point in their lives. The percentage of Americans who say they have ever lied to their parents falls steeply with age to just 25 percent of people aged 65 or older. The older folks are either lying about lying or they are memory impaired.

Another question on the survey about lying: did respondents think others would lie when answering the survey? The 69 percent majority said "yes," they thought others would lie. But when respondents were asked whether they themselves had lied when answering the survey, only 6 percent said yes.