TMN/MC survey about the morals of Canadians coincides with upcoming premiere of Dexter New Programs / TMN - The Movie Network Posted by RAD on Sep 20, 2006 - 05:44 PM A national survey commissioned by Astral Media’s The Movie Network (eastern Canada) and Corus Entertainment’s Movie Central (western Canada) conducted by Ipsos Reid, suggests that the country possesses a strong moral compass overall, with 95% of the population indicating that they live their lives in a moral way, as do those around them (81%). Yet, when responding to potential scenarios, a surprising number of Canadians admit that they are willing to act immorally. “Whatever might be the high-minded moralities expressed by Canadians these days, the dirty little secret remains: we are not as virtuous and upstanding as we may appear. We all have personal and varying boundaries that govern how far we will go, but we are willing to bend the law or make compromises to our morality within those boundaries. It could be as benign as jay-walking or as bad as causing personal harm, committing theft or exacting our own form of revenge. Yet there is a little demon in all of us,” said Gary Elijah Dann, Ph.D., Th.D., Instructor, Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto & Adjunct Professor, Department of Religion and Culture, Wilfrid Laurier University. The survey, conducted among 1,000 Canadians in August 2006, found that one-quarter (25%) of respondents would not turn in a loved one if they knew they had committed a crime, while one in four (24%) would do a favour for a friend or family member even if they thought it was ethically questionable. Two in five Canadians (42%) confess that they would lie to get ahead in life, but most draw the line at allowing someone else take the fall with just 7% admitting that they would let an innocent person assume the blame. When probed about specific immoral acts, all of which can be regarded as criminal offences, 17% of the population admit that they would depart the scene without leaving a note if they backed into someone’s car and no one witnessed the act; 12% say they would not return a found wallet with $100 in it; and, 10% claim that they would not tell a cashier if they were mistakenly handed a $20 bill in change instead of a $10 bill. The study coincides with the upcoming premiere of Showtime’s highly-anticipated crime thriller series Dexter, debuting Monday, October 2 at 9 p.m. ET on The Movie Network and Sunday, October 1 at 8 p.m. PT on Movie Central. This 12-part series, based on Jeff Lindsay’s novel Darkly Dreaming Dexter, follows Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a forensic investigator for the Miami Police Department, who takes the law into his own hands by killing the criminal and morally bankrupt who are above the law or who have slipped through the cracks of justice. Dexter’s determination to right the wrongs of society is admirable despite his questionable rationalization and unusual work methods. Turning from morality and criminal behaviour to justice, 59% of Canadians have confidence in the justice system, but one-third (34%) of the population would take the law into their own hands if they felt it was warranted. However, it may be difficult to ensure that justice is served when one in ten Canadians (12%) admit that they would side with the majority on a jury, even if they disagreed with the decision. Further, justice can only be served if the criminal is caught; this fact is particularly interesting considering that 10% of Canadians admit to having committed a crime and gotten away with it. The Gender Gap The survey reveals an apparent gender difference with regard to morality and the justice system: Women are twice as likely to confess to a wrong doing rather than letting someone else take the blame (10% vs. 4%); Men are more likely to keep a wallet they found with $100 in it (14% vs.10%); Men are less likely to turn in a loved one who had committed a crime (75% vs. 64%); Men have more confidence in the system (63% vs. 55%); but are far more likely to take the law into their own hands (41% vs. 28%); and, Men are almost twice as likely to admit to getting away with a crime in the past (13% vs. 7%). The Regional Divide Region and age also colour people’s perceptions of morality and justice in Canada: Ontarians tend to be a dissolute bunch with one in four (23%) reporting that they would depart the scene without leaving a note if they backed into someone’s car in a parking lot (versus 17% nationally); While Quebecers are far less likely than others to say they would lie to get ahead (12% vs. 52% in the rest of Canada), they are more likely to do a favour for a friend or family member even if it was ethically questionable (36% vs. 20% nationally); Four out of five respondents from Atlantic Canada (78%) have confidence in the justice system, compared to 57% in the rest of the country; Double the number of British Columbians indicate they would side with the majority on a jury, even if they disagreed with the decision (20% vs. 10% in the rest of Canada); and, Canadians 18-54 years of age are more likely than their elders to say they would take the law into their own hands (37% vs. 29%). The Movie Network highlights more of the Ipsos Reid survey results online at www.themovienetwork.ca/dexter/ [1]. Leading up to the launch of Dexter, users also have the opportunity to rate their own morals by taking the Killer Instincts quiz at www.themovienetwork.ca/dexter/killerinstincts.php. About the Survey The Movie Network and Movie Central survey on the morals of Canadians was conducted by Ipsos Reid between August 1 to 3, 2006. A representative sample of 1,000 Canadians was interviewed by telephone. The sample used in this study has been weighted according to Census data to accurately reflect the population of Canadians. With a sample of this size, the aggregate results are considered accurate to within ±3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had this entire population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within each sub-grouping of the survey population. Please visit www.ipsos.ca for full tabular results. This article is from CHANNEL CANADA   http://www.channelcanada.com/ The URL for this story is:   http://www.channelcanada.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=1562 Links in this article   [1] http://www.themovienetwork.ca/dexter/