Throwing the die in Georgia: Does swearing an oath make students report honest answers?

Abstract

Plagiarism, cheating on college admission test or tax evasion are acts of dishonest behavior and it is important to understand this behavior in order to reduce the loss in tax revenue and provide equal access to higher education. This study adds to the growing academic literature that examines the topic of dishonesty by conducting a die-in-a-cup experiment in combination with an oath treatment in Georgia and answering the following questions: Do students in Georgia act dishonestly? If so, can an oath increase the level of honesty? This study shows that this particular oath script reduces the amount of highest reported outcome by 15%, compared with the baseline. However, no significant differences in the distribution between the oath treatment and the baseline are found. In addition, this thesis finds significant reporting of the highest outcomes for individuals sitting in the back of the classroom.