A 2021 IZA discussion paper, now published in The Economic Journal, found that a child’s propensity to lie is significantly influenced by their social environment and upbringing. The study highlights that children from higher socio-economic backgrounds tend to be more honest than those from less privileged settings. Additionally, a compassionate parenting style and a high level of trust within the family are linked to greater honesty in children.
The research team, comprising Johannes Abeler, Armin Falk and Fabian Kosse, utilized a simple die-rolling experiment to measure honesty. Children were asked to predict the outcome of a die roll and received a small reward if their prediction was correct. The unmonitored nature of the experiment allowed children to lie without fear of being caught. Statistically, only about 16.7% of honest predictions should be correct, but the study found that over 60% of children claimed to have predicted correctly, indicating widespread dishonesty.
The study also explored how these honesty preferences could be altered. It found that participation in a mentoring program led to a lasting increase in honesty among children from disadvantaged backgrounds. The program, Balu und Du, pairs children with volunteer mentors who spend one afternoon a week engaging in social activities with them for a year. This exposure to a role model positively impacted the children’s honesty long after the program ended.
The data for this study was collected from over 700 families in Cologne and Bonn, who participated in a panel study starting in 2011. Families provided detailed information about their socio-economic status, parenting styles, and household dynamics. From this group, 212 children from disadvantaged backgrounds were randomly selected to participate in the mentoring program, while 378 similar children formed a control group.
The results were clear: only 44% of children in the mentoring program lied, compared to 58% in the control group. This significant reduction in dishonesty, akin to the differences observed between genders in previous studies, underscores the effectiveness of the mentoring program.
Overall, the study demonstrates that early interventions can positively influence children’s social and moral behaviors, suggesting that structured mentoring programs could be a valuable tool in promoting honesty and integrity from a young age.