Ethics Newsline®

“Just under three in five Americans believe juries can be fair and impartial all or most of the time”

From Harris Interactive®:

“One of the civil duties many people dread, or try to get out of, is jury duty. And many do seem to get out of it — while two-thirds (65%) of Americans have been called to serve jury duty, two-thirds of that (68%) actually attended, leaving one-third (32%) who did not. Of those who have attended jury duty, just over half (55%) have actually served on a jury. Bringing this back to the population as a whole, a plurality of Americans (44%) has attended jury duty and one-quarter (24%) has actually sat on a jury….

“Of those who have been called, however, men and women have served in similar numbers (56% and 53% respectively). The more education one has, the more likely one seems able to avoid serving on a jury. Over half (57%) of both those with a high school or less education and some college who have attended jury duty have actually served on a jury. Yet this number drops to just over half (52%) of those with a college degree and 48 percent of those with a post graduate education.

“Most of the time, those who were on a jury deliberated. Just over three-quarters (78%) say they reached a verdict, while one in five (19%) said the case was settled before they had to deliberate….

“Overall, Americans believe juries are able to be fair and impartial. A majority (58%) of adults say people on trial have a jury that is fair and impartial all or most of the time while one in five (21%) say the jury is fair and impartial occasionally. Just eight percent say juries are rarely or never fair and impartial. There is a racial disparity in this belief. Almost two-thirds (63%) of Whites and over half (55%) of Hispanics believe people who are on trial have a jury that is fair and impartial all or most of the time compared to just 37 percent of Blacks.

“In looking at a judge versus a jury and who would give a fair verdict in a trial, half of Americans (50%) would trust a jury to give a fair verdict while just under one-quarter (23%) would trust a judge and 27 percent are not sure….”

For the full press release from Harris, Jan. 21, click here.

United States ranks 39th, “significantly behind other industrialized nations”

From Yale University and Columbia University:

“Switzerland tops the global list of countries ranked by environmental performance according to the 2008 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) produced by a team of environmental experts at Yale University and Columbia University.

“The 2008 EPI, released at the World Economic Forum in Davos ranks 149 countries on 25 indicators tracked across six established policy categories: Environmental Health, Air Pollution, Water Resources, Biodiversity and Habitat, Productive Natural Resources, and Climate Change. The EPI identifies broadly-accepted targets for environmental performance and measures how close each country comes to these goals. As a quantitative gauge of pollution control and natural resource management results, the Index provides a powerful tool for improving policymaking and shifting environmental decisionmaking onto firmer analytic foundations.

“The 2008 EPI ranks Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Costa Rica two to five, respectively. Mali, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Angola, and Niger occupy the bottom five positions.

“The Index also provides ‘peer group’ rankings for each country showing how its performance stacks up against others facing similar environmental challenges. These benchmarks allow easy tracking of leaders and laggards on an issue-by-issue and aggregate basis. The data also support efforts to identify ‘best practices’ in the environmental realm.

“Analysis of the drivers underlying the 2008 rankings suggests that wealth is a major determinant of environmental success. At every level of development, however, some countries achieve results that far exceed their peers, demonstrating that policy choices also affect performance. For example, Costa Rica (5th), known for its substantial environmental efforts, significantly outperforms its neighbor Nicaragua (77^th)….

“Top-ranked countries have all invested in water and air pollution control and other elements of environmental infrastructure and have adopted policy measures to mitigate the pollution harms caused by economic activities. Low-ranked countries typically have not made investments in environmental public health and have weak policy regimes….

“The United States placed 39th in the rankings, significantly behind other industrialized nations like the United Kingdom (14^th) and Japan (21^st)….”

For more information, see: Environmental Performance Index home — New York Times, Jan. 23 — Reuters, Jan. 23 — Newsweek, Jan. 23.

“Survey reveals generational differences in views on marriage and commitment”

From AOL Personals and Zogby International:

“More than 4 in 10 Americans (44%), including 50% in their 20s don’t believe that they need to be married to validate the commitment of a long-term relationship, according to a survey from AOL Personals … and Zogby. This is just one of the many findings from a new interactive survey of Americans age 20 to 69 that tackles how different generations view a wide range of relationship issues — from love to soul mates, money and trust….

“Issues related to trust in relationships vary significantly among different generations. Younger respondents are more likely to want the truth from their partner, even if it hurts — more than 85% of respondents in their 20s said they always want the truth, compared to 79% of those in their 50s and 60s….

“Money is an important issue in any relationship, but different generations have varying views on managing money matters. Those in their 20s are less likely to be concerned with differences in income, with 88% saying they would date someone who makes significantly less money. Older respondents are less inclined to combine incomes in a romantic relationship, with 38% of respondents 40 and older likely to do so, compared with 50% of respondents in their 20s and 30s.

“When it comes to dating, most Americans are able to overlook flaws in potential partners — such as prospects with small bank accounts, job loss, or physical disabilities. Adults in their 20s are less likely to be concerned about differences between themselves and their partners, with respondents in the age group more likely than others to date someone who comes from a different racial or religious background. In addition, while more than half of respondents (51%) would date someone with opposing political beliefs, those in their 20s (60%) are most likely to leave politics at home while out on a date….”

For more information, see: Full press release from Zogby, Jan. 2 — Reuters, Jan. 3.

Poll finds public judging political candidates by their perceived character, not their position on controversial issues

From Harris Interactive:

“Political commentators and journalists often use the phrase ‘moral values’ to mean the issues of importance to some conservatives and members of the ‘Christian Right,’ issues such as abortion, gay rights, same-sex marriage and stem cell research. In fact, when the public uses the phrase, only a few people are referring to these issues. Most people who say that moral values are very important to them in deciding how to vote (46% of all adults) say that what they mean are the characters of the candidates — such as honesty, integrity, trustworthiness and their likelihood of ‘doing the right thing’.

“Using the phrase as the public understands it, moral values are important to most people (85%) when deciding whom to vote for, and are ‘very important’ to fully 46 percent of the public.

“Republicans (63%) are much more likely than Democrats (37%) or Independents (38%) to believe that moral values are very important in their choice of candidates — a finding that is consistent with the common assumption that ‘values voters’ tend to be an important part of the Republican base. Unsurprisingly, Conservatives (64%) are also more likely than Moderates (41%) or Liberals (33%) to believe moral values are very important criteria for their voting decisions….

“Of all the people who say moral values are very important in deciding how to vote, less than a third (30%) are referring to the candidates’ positions on issues, with by far the largest number (14%) referring to abortion. In addition, they mention gay rights (3%), that marriage is between a man and woman (3%) and gay marriage (3%). A few, but only a very few, mention homosexuality (1%), and stem cell research (1%).

“The greatest majority (78%) of these voters mentions personal characteristics of the candidates including their honesty (28%), integrity (11%), ethical values (8%), and someone who does the right thing (8%), is trustworthy (7%), truthful (6%) or keeps his/her word (6%).

“However it is not quite as clear cut as these numbers. Some, but not many, of these ‘moral values voters’ mention personal characteristics associated with the Christian Right such as ‘Christian/or believes in the Bible’ (6%), their religious views (5%), belief in God or Christ (4%), or the 10 Commandments (2%). Overall, however, it is very clear that when most people talk about the importance of moral values they are not referring to the agenda of the Christian Right….

“These findings show that pollsters, journalists and commentators must be very careful not to assume that voters who feel strongly about ‘moral values’ are primarily concerned with issues such as abortion, homosexuality, gay marriage, stem cell research, gun control or any of the other issues often associated with the Christian Right or the Conservative base of the Republican party….

“In 2004 many commentators assumed wrongly that voters who said moral values influenced their votes were referring to these issues, and as a result some pundits greatly overestimated their impact on the election….”

For the full press release from Harris Interactive, Jan. 9, click here.

Poll finds sinking expectations for the coming year

From the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press:

“The American public begins the new year with a highly negative view of national conditions and tempered expectations for 2008. Half of Americans say that as far as they are concerned, 2008 will be a better year than 2007, while 34% say it will be worse. In December 2006, and in several end-of-year surveys during the 1990s, there was greater optimism about the coming year.

“Public views of the state of the nation are even less positive than people’s personal expectations for the coming year. Just 27% say they are satisfied with national conditions, while 66% are dissatisfied. Positive views of the state of the nation have been mired at about 30% for most of the past two years….

“President Bush’s approval rating also remains at a low point at the start of his final year in office. Just 31% approve of the president’s job performance, while 60% disapprove. Bush’s approval rating has been below 40% since February 2006.

“The latest national survey … finds that the public is looking forward to the presidential election much more than several other major events on the 2008 calendar. Fully 70% say they are especially looking forward to the November election…. [T]his is slightly more than say they are looking forward to the Olympics (52%) or the Super Bowl (49%), and far more than are anticipating the World Series and the Academy Awards….

“A plurality of Americans (23%) cite Iraq as the single most important news event of 2007, but significantly fewer named Iraq as the year’s top event than did so in 2006 (34%). Pew surveys have shown that public attentiveness to the war, which was extensive early in 2007, declined later in the year.

“Aside from Iraq, no single event stood out in the public’s view as the most important in 2007. Overall, 4% volunteered natural disasters and the weather and 3% cited the home mortgage crisis, with smaller numbers naming other stories….”

For the full press release, Jan. 4, click here.

Survey finds 85 percent of privacy and security professionals ‘acknowledge a reportable data breach occurred within their organizations in the last year’

From Deloitte & Touche and the Ponemon Institute:

“Personally identifiable information (PII) of customers and employees is being exposed — frequently and repeatedly — potentially putting hundreds of thousands of individuals at risk and exposing organizations to increased liability, according to a new survey by Deloitte & Touche LLP (’Deloitte’) and the Ponemon Institute LLC.

“A shocking 85 percent of privacy and security professionals in North America surveyed acknowledged having at least one reportable data breach of PII within their organizations during the last 12 months, according to the ‘Enterprise@Risk: 2007 Privacy & Data Protection Survey.’ More alarming is the fact that 63 percent acknowledged multiple reportable data breaches occurred within their organizations during the same period. As a result, privacy and security professionals continue spending most of their privacy-focused time on incident response and relatively little time on more proactive activities, such as strategy, training and root cause analysis….

” ‘The astonishingly high rate of data breaches is undermining public trust in both commercial and governmental organizations and points to an urgent need for privacy and security to be elevated as a coordinated, strategic imperative within all organizations,’ said Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder, Ponemon Institute. ‘Our research suggests that privacy and security are still largely reactive, siloed functions; this mindset needs to change immediately if we are to stem the swelling tide of data breaches plaguing consumers and enterprises.’

“Additional key findings and analysis include:

• “Only slightly more than 7 percent of a professional’s time is allocated to employee training and no more than 10 percent is allocated to establishing an incident response team, management reporting and conducting root cause analysis….

“The survey pointed out a couple of realities. The privacy function is siloed between legal and compliance on one hand, and IT security on the other hand. The privacy program itself is still immature. And, there does not appear to be real integration with the risk function and business processes of the enterprise. Until that integration occurs, it is likely that privacy incidents and reportable data breaches will continue….”

For the full press release, Dec. 11, click here.

Editor’s Note: Deloitte is a corporate sponsor of Ethics Newsline®.

Survey finds divergent views between many European countries and respondents in the United States.

From Harris Interactive:

“As the United States gets ready to enter an election year, there are interesting differences in the perceptions of adults in the five largest European countries, especially compared to Americans, as to what the election may mean and how important it is. Two-thirds of Americans (66%) and over half of Italians (55%), Germans (52%) and Spaniards (51%) think the U.S. election is extremely or very important to people in other countries as do a plurality (43%) of British adults. The French, however, disagree, as just over one-third (38%) say the election is extremely or very important to other countries….

“One of the interesting story lines with this U.S. election is the possibility of two firsts — a female president and a black president. Over half of adults in France (56%), Spain (56%), Germany (55%), and Italy (53%) as well as a plurality (43%) in Great Britain, believe that electing a woman as president would have a positive effect on the USA….The one exception is in the U.S. Just three in ten (29%) Americans believe electing a woman would have a positive effect on the USA while one-quarter (26%) say it would have a negative effect and 23 percent believe it would have equally positive and negative effects….

“Looking at the possibility of the first black president, the numbers are not as strong. Half of Spaniards (50%) and pluralities of French (49%), Italians (44%), Germans (43%) and Britons (43%) believe electing a black man would have a positive effect on the USA. Again, Americans are less positive as just one-third (33%) say this would have a positive effect while 28 percent say the effect would be equally positive and negative….

“In looking at who would make the best U.S. president (among 10 listed candidates) Hillary Clinton is the top choice in all six countries. Barack Obama is second in France and Germany and tied for second with Rudy Giuliani in the U.S. Rudy Giuliani comes in second in Italy, Spain, and Great Britain. When it comes to who will actually win the 2008 Presidential election, Hillary Clinton is again on top — in fact, over half of Italians (51%) believe she will win. The only other candidate in double digits in any of the countries is Rudy Giuliani and 11 percent of Americans believe he will actually win the election.

“Looking at the position of the U.S. in the world under President Bush, there is a consensus — the position of the U.S. is weaker in the world today then it was at the beginning of the Bush presidency. In fact, Americans are the ones leading this charge as almost three in five (58%) of them say weaker, followed by 57 percent of British adults and over half of Italians (53%) and Germans (52%). Just under half (49%) of French adults and 46 percent of Spaniards believe the same.

“The new president, whoever he or she might be, inherits a good deal of international concerns. As to the most urgent foreign policy issue for the new president, for adults in five of the countries, Iraq comes out as the top issue. Italy is the exception as Italians believe the Middle East settlement is the most urgent issue, followed by Iran….

“The role the new president should play is one where those in Europe agree on one idea, while those in the U.S. feel a little differently. Two-thirds or more in the five European countries (between 65% and 77%) believe the U.S. president should be an equal voice among all western leaders. In the U.S., just under half (46%) also agree with this idea….

“One reason the U.S. needs to have such an important role is many believe the U.S. poses a threat to world peace A majority in Spain (56%) and pluralities in France (49%), Great Britain (48%) and Germany (48%) as well as 37 percent in Italy believe the U.S. poses a major threat to world peace. Even one-quarter (28%) in the U.S. believe the U.S. poses a major threat while 27 percent of Americans say the U.S. poses a minor threat to world peace….”

For the full press release from Harris Interactive, Dec. 11, click here.

Study examines cultural, political, and gender lines in how the public views female leaders.

From the Pew Research Center:

“On December 10, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner will be inaugurated as Argentina’s first female president. The senator and first lady will join 11 other women who currently serve as their countries’ presidents or prime ministers, including Michelle Bachelet in neighboring Chile. But while women worldwide are making gains in all levels of government, the most recent Pew Global Attitudes survey of 46 countries and the Palestinian territories finds that publics around the world express mixed opinions about women and political leadership.

“The countries of Western Europe, North America and Latin America generally include the highest proportions of respondents who rate men and women as equally good political leaders. Roughly two-thirds in Kirchner’s country (68%) express that view, while 17% say men are better leaders and 9% prefer women. In the United States, fully three-quarters say men and women make equally good political leaders, and that opinion is even more widespread in Western Europe.

“By contrast, majorities in Mali (65%), the Palestinian territories (64%), Kuwait (62%), Pakistan (54%), Bangladesh (52%) and Ethiopia (51%) say men make better political leaders than women, as do nearly half of Jordanians (49%) and Nigerians (48%). Russians are also divided: 44% say men and women make equally good leaders while 40% say men are better. Only in Brazil do more people say women make better political leaders than say men do: 15% of Brazilians say women make better political leaders and 10% say men are better leaders….

“Views of political leadership often split along gender lines as well, with men more likely than women to say men make better political leaders and women more likely than men to say either that women make better leaders or that both are equally good. This is especially the case in Africa as well as in several Asian, Middle Eastern, and Eastern European countries….

“In the United States, where Hillary Clinton currently leads the Democratic primary field in national polls, opinions about gender and political leadership reflect partisan rather than gender differences….”

For the full press release from the Pew Research Center, Dec. 5, click here.

From the Ethics Resource Center (ERC):

“Six years after high-profile corporate scandals rocked American business, there has been little if any meaningful reduction in the enterprise-wide risk of unethical behavior at U.S. companies, according to the Ethics Resource Center’s 2007 National Business Ethics Survey®….

“Interviews with almost 2,000 employees at U.S. public and private companies of all sizes for the biennial NBES® show disturbing shares of workers witnessing ethical misconduct at work — and tending not to report what they see. Conflicts of interest, abusive behavior and lying pose the most severe ethics risks to companies today.

“The measurable lack of progress in business ethics should signal a need for company management, Boards of Directors, policy-makers, investors and consumers to reassess their approach to that challenge, said ERC President Patricia Harned, Ph.D.

“‘Despite new regulation and significant efforts to reduce misconduct and increase reporting when it does occur, the ethics risk landscape in American business is as treacherous as it was before implementation of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002,’ Dr. Harned said.

“Over the past year, more than half (56 percent) of employees surveyed had personally observed violations of company ethics standards, policy, or the law. Many saw multiple violations. More than two of five employees (42 percent) who witnessed misconduct did not report it through any company channels.

“According to Dr. Harned, ‘There is a strong sense of futility and fear among employees when it comes to reporting ethical misconduct, and that increases the danger to business. More than half (54 percent) of employees who witnessed but did not report misconduct believed that reporting would not lead to corrective action. More than a third (36 percent) of non-reporters feared retaliation from at least one source; but our research shows that having a strong ethical culture virtually eliminates retaliation.’

” ‘Employees at all levels have not increased their ‘ethical courage’ in recent years,’ Dr. Harned said. ‘The rate of observed misconduct has crept back above where it was in 2000. And employees’ willingness to report misconduct has not improved, either.’

” ‘The good news is that the rate of misconduct is cut by three-fourths at companies with strong ethical cultures, and reporting is doubled at companies with comprehensive ethics programs,’ said Dr. Harned. ERC helps organizations design and measure the strength of their culture and the effectiveness of ethics programs….

“The NBES also found most employees prefer to report misconduct to a person, especially someone with whom they already have a relationship, rather than to a company ‘hotline.’ Only 3 percent of misconduct reports were made to company hotlines….”

From Deloitte:

“The environment is increasingly on consumers’ radar screens, according to the 22nd Annual Holiday Survey of retail spending and trends, commissioned by Deloitte.

“The survey reports that almost one in five consumers (18 percent) will purchase more ‘eco-friendly’ products this holiday season than in the past, and a similar number (17 percent) will shop at more ‘green’ retailers.

“Additionally, almost one-third of consumers (27 percent) surveyed will use fewer plastic bags from supermarkets and other stores this holiday season, and one in five (20 percent) will consider not wrapping holiday gifts to conserve paper. Surprisingly, these responses concerning the environment and holiday shopping intentions were consistent across gender, age and income groups.

” ‘Most importantly, a significant number of people — 17 percent — are willing to pay more for ‘green’ gifts or supplies, which tells us that this issue is on shoppers’ minds this year and is becoming more central to consumers’ purchasing decisions,’ said Stacy Janiak, Deloitte’s U.S. Retail Leader.

” ‘Savvy retailers are taking concrete steps to become more environmentally friendly, and are incorporating this sensibility into their operations, as well as their customer communications. At the same time, they should be cautious about promoting their eco-initiatives too early, before they’ve made real progress, due to the potential for consumer backlash.’

“How this environmentalism will translate into gift purchases remains to be seen. In the survey, clothing continued its four-year run as the second most popular gift category (gift cards have been #1 for four years)….

“Almost two-thirds of consumers (63 percent) say they enjoy the experience and spirit of the holidays; however, a similar amount (61 percent) say they avoid holiday shopping crowds — an increase from the 56 percent that said this in 2006.

“Consumers said that over-commercialization, rude people/bad manners and crowded stores are the aspects of holiday shopping that they find most frustrating; surprisingly, younger age groups were most likely to cite these frustrations.

” ‘These findings may help explain why American consumers continue to turn to the Internet in droves,’ said Janiak.”…

From the Pew Research Center:

“African Americans see a widening gulf between the values of middle class and poor blacks, and nearly four-in-ten say that because of the diversity within their community, blacks can no longer be thought of as a single race.

“The new nationwide Pew Research Center survey also finds blacks less upbeat about the state of black progress now than at any time since 1983. Looking backward, just one-in-five blacks say things are better for blacks now than they were five years ago. Looking ahead, fewer than half of all blacks (44%) say they think life for blacks will get better in the future, down from the 57% who said so in a 1986 survey.

“Whites have a different perspective. While they, too, have grown less sanguine about black progress, they are nearly twice as likely as blacks to see black gains in the past five years. Also, a majority of whites (56%) say life for blacks in this country will get better in the future….

“Other key findings include…:

• “Big gaps in perception between blacks and whites emerge on many topics. For example, blacks believe that anti-black discrimination is still pervasive in everyday life; whites disagree. And blacks have far less confidence than whites in the basic fairness of the criminal justice system.
• “But there are also areas of agreement. For example, blacks and whites concur that there has been a convergence in the values held by blacks and whites. On the popular culture front, large majorities of both blacks and whites say that rap and hip hop have a bad influence on society.
• “Blacks and whites express very little overt racial animosity. As they have for decades, about eight-in-ten members of each racial group express a favorable view about members of the other group. More than eight-in-ten adults in each group also say they know a person of a different race whom they consider a friend….
• “A 53% majority of African Americans say that blacks who don’t get ahead are mainly responsible for their situation, while just three-in-ten say discrimination is mainly to blame. As recently as the mid-1990s, black opinion on this question tilted in the opposite direction, with a majority of African Americans saying then that discrimination is the main reason for a lack of black progress.
• “On the issue of immigration, blacks and whites agree that most immigrants work harder than most blacks and most whites at low-wage jobs. Also, blacks are less inclined now than they were two decades ago to say that blacks would have more jobs if there were fewer immigrants.”

From CareerBuilder.com:

“Is the cough on the other end of the line real? According to CareerBuilder.com’s annual survey on absenteeism at the office, 32 percent of workers said they have called in sick when they were well at least once in the last year. And while the majority of employers (75 percent) said they typically believe excuses given by employees, 35 percent reported they have checked up on an employee who called in sick and 16 percent said they have fired a worker for missing work without a legitimate excuse….

“Twenty-seven percent of workers said they consider their sick days to be equivalent to vacation days and one-in-ten admitted to playing hooky three times or more even though they were feeling well. One-in-five workers (23 percent) said they took the day off simply because they just didn’t feel like going to work that day. Fifteen percent missed work because they needed to relax, 11 percent had a doctor’s appointment, 9 percent wanted to catch up on sleep and another 9 percent had plans with family and friends.

“More than half (52 percent) of employers say Monday is the most popular day for employee absenteeism, followed by Friday at 24 percent and Saturday at 9 percent….

“While some employers are more skeptical of certain absences, others are incorporating more flexibility into their sick day programs. Sixty-nine percent of employers said they allow their team members to use sick days for mental health days.

” ‘Employers are placing a greater emphasis on work/life balance, offering more opportunities for employees to recharge and return to the office more productive,’ said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.com. ‘Your best bet is to be honest. If you’re a strong employee and you’re truthful about the time you need off, your employer is likely to give it to you. Lying about it, on the other hand, can have a lasting, negative impact on your credibility and job tenure.’

“When asked to share the most unusual excuses employees gave for missing work, employers offered the following real-life examples….”

From the Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive:

“A new Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Healthcare Poll finds a substantial decrease from 2006 in those who support asking people with unhealthy lifestyles to pay more for healthcare. This latest poll shows thirty-seven percent of U.S. adults think it is fair that those with unhealthy lifestyles pay higher insurance premiums than those with healthy lifestyles, compared to a majority (53%) who felt that way just about a year ago (July 2006). Similarly, one-third (35%) say it is fair for those with unhealthy lifestyles to pay higher deductibles or co-payments for their medical care, compared to half (53%) in 2006….

“Overall, males (51%) are stronger proponents of increased healthcare costs than are females (32%). ‘Fairness’ appears to be a key concept for those who agree that people with unhealthy lifestyles should pay more — it is their choice to live that way, so others should not have to pay for it (80%) and they tend to incur more medical costs than those who live a healthy lifestyle (82%). Many also believe that higher costs could encourage people to live healthier lifestyles, which would be better for society overall (75%).

“When it comes to two main components of an ‘unhealthy lifestyle’ — namely smoking and obesity — the public tends to take a stronger stance against smoking. A clear majority (57%) favors higher health insurance costs for smokers, while only a third (36%) favors the same for those who are overweight….

“There is almost no public support for employers having the right to fire employees for smoking (7%) or being seriously overweight (4%). About one third agree that they should be able to require employees to attend smoking cessation (29%) or weight loss (30%) programs, but most adults believe employers should not have the right to take any of these actions….

“Katherine Binns, Division President for Healthcare Research at Harris Interactive, comments, ‘…Companies are instituting wellness programs which involve health-risk assessments and fitness coaches, but should remember that obese people, whose healthcare is among the costliest, are protected by federal law.’…”

From the American Bar Association (ABA):

“The American Bar Association today released the findings from their three-year study on state death penalty systems and called for a nationwide moratorium on executions. Based on a detailed analysis of death penalty systems in eight sample states, the ABA Death Penalty Moratorium Implementation Project identified key problems common to the states studied, including major racial disparities, inadequate indigent defense services and irregular clemency review processes — making their death penalty systems operate unfairly….

“While the ABA takes no position for or against the death penalty itself, since 1997 it has urged a moratorium in each jurisdiction that provides for capital punishment until the state conducts a thorough and exhaustive study to determine whether its system meets legal standards for fairness and due process.

“For the past three years, teams of local legal experts have assessed their states using 93 protocols developed by the ABA as measuring points of the due process and fairness the state provides….

“Several serious problems were found in many of the states:

• “Every state studied appears to have significant racial disparities in imposing the death penalty, particularly associated with the race of the victim, but little has been done to rectify the problem….
• “Most states have had at least one serious incident of mistakes or fraud in crime laboratories. They often do not require that crime laboratories and medical examiner offices be accredited, or that crime laboratories make their standards and procedures public. The laboratories are often seriously underfunded and do not use the most sophisticated testing procedures.
• “With respect to collection, preservation and testing of biological evidence, most states do not require preservation of the evidence through the entire legal process until the accused is either released from prison or executed. As scientific testing capability advances, evidence that could prove innocence may be destroyed. Testing statutes create onerous procedural hurdles impeding the ability of convicted persons to file for and obtain DNA testing.
• “States do not require law enforcement agencies to adopt procedures comporting with national best practices on identification and interrogation, and most states do not require law enforcement agencies to videotape or audiotape custodial interrogations in murder cases….
• “Some states fail to provide for appointment of defense counsel in post-conviction proceedings, and all states fail to provide for appointment of counsel in clemency proceedings. Capital indigent defense is generally significantly underfunded, and compensation paid to appointed capital defense attorneys is often inadequate. Many states require only minimal training and experience for defense counsel in capital cases.
• “Some states do not require a meaningful proportionality review to determine whether death sentences are imposed on similarly situated defendants and few, if any, maintain databases adequate to achieve such a review.
• “With respect to post-conviction review, many states provide unreasonably short time periods in which to petition the courts for review, and most states allow judges in such proceedings to adopt findings of fact and conclusions of law proposed by one party, potentially undermining the judge’s exercise of independent judgment. Some states assign post-conviction review of whether errors were made at trial to the same judge who presided at trial, and many states make it difficult to obtain discovery, or evidentiary hearings….

“With more than 413,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.”

From International Herald Tribune/France 24/Harris Interactive:

“A new International Herald Tribune/France 24/Harris Interactive survey finds that, overall, in the United States and the five largest European countries, people are mostly satisfied with their jobs. At least two-thirds of each country’s workers say they are satisfied, with Italy having the lowest satisfaction numbers (67%) and Spain having the highest (83%).

“In their current jobs, the top two most important aspects are the interesting nature and the salary. In Great Britain, France, Italy and Germany, the interesting nature of the job comes ahead of salary for importance. For Spanish and American workers, however, salary is more important than the interesting nature of their jobs. The working hours are third for each of the countries in importance….

“Looking specifically at pay, over three in five U.S. workers (63%) say they are well-paid, and this is the highest of the six countries….

“…Working less and earning less is not something workers want. While one in ten Spanish workers (11%) would want this, they are the highest of the six countries.

“While it may be the theme of many a television show and movie, on average, most workers do not dislike their bosses. Just under one-quarter (23%) of Italian workers say they dislike their current boss and they are the highest of the six countries. On the flip side, two-thirds of U.S. workers (65%) like their current boss with almost half (46%) saying they like their boss very much. Majorities in Great Britain (56%) and France (52%) also like their boss and just under half of Italian workers (48%) and German workers (47%) feel the same. Spanish workers are a bit more mixed….

“Like with pay, on the most part, people believe the number of holidays workers (i.e. vacations) have in their respective countries is sufficient. Almost three-quarters of French adults (74%) believe the number of days is sufficient as do seven in ten (71%) of Germans and two-thirds (66%) of Italians. Just over half (55%) of Spaniards also feel this way about vacation days. Feelings are more mixed in the U.S. as 42 percent of Americans believe vacation days are sufficient and the same number believes they are insufficient. Great Britain is the only country where more think the number of vacation days is insufficient — 45 percent say insufficient and 37 percent believe the number of days is sufficient….”

From the Pew Research Center:

“The Muslim and Mormon religions have gained increasing national visibility in recent years. Yet most Americans say they know little or nothing about either religion’s practices, and large majorities say that their own religion is very different from Islam and the Mormon religion….

“Public impressions of both religions are hazy — 58% say they know little or nothing about Islam’s practices, while 51% have little or no awareness of the precepts and practices of Mormonism. The number of people who say they know little or nothing about Islam has changed very little since 2001.

“Most Americans believe that their own religion has little in common with either Islam or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Fully 70% say that their religion is very different from Islam, while 62% say this about the Mormon religion….

“…Overall evaluations of Mormons and Muslim Americans are on balance positive: 53% say they have a favorable opinion of Mormons, while an identical percentage views Muslim Americans favorably….

“Despite these similarities, there also are clear differences in public attitudes about Islam and Mormonism. These are reflected in the single-word descriptions people use in summarizing their impressions of each religion. Twice as many people use negative words as positive words to describe their impressions of the Muslim religion (30% vs. 15%). The most frequently used negative word to describe Islam is ‘fanatic,’ with ‘radical’ and ‘terror’ often mentioned as well. Among the positive terms, ‘devout’ or some variant is the most frequently cited.

“The words that people use to describe the Mormon religion are, on balance, more positive. Nearly a quarter (23%) gives a positive word to describe their impression of the Mormon religion while 27% use a negative term…. The most commonly used negative words to describe Mormonism are ‘polygamy,’ ‘bigamy’ or some other reference to plural marriage. Among positive words used to describe the Mormon religion, ‘family’ — or some variant of the term — is the most frequent response….

“…Nearly half (46%) of those who have heard at least a little about Pope Benedict XVI say he is doing only a fair or poor job at promoting good relations with other major religions; just 38% say the pope is doing an excellent or good job in this regard….

“Public attitudes about Muslims and Islam have grown more negative in recent years. About four-in-ten Americans (43%) say they have a favorable opinion of Muslims, while 35% express a negative view….

“The biggest influence on the public’s impressions of Muslims, particularly among those who express an unfavorable opinion of Muslims, is what people hear and read in the media….

“The belief that Islam encourages violence has increased among groups that express mostly negative views of Muslims, such as conservative Republicans, but also among those groups that have relatively favorable opinions of Muslims, such as college graduates….

“Fully 70% of non-Muslims say that the Muslim religion is very different from their own religion, compared with just 19% who say Islam and their own religion have a lot in common….

“The survey shows that knowing a Muslim is associated with more positive views of the religion. Among those who know a Muslim, for instance, a majority (56%) has a favorable overall impression of Muslims, compared with just 32% of those who are not acquainted with a Muslim.

“This pattern extends across several other measures of views of Muslims and Islam….

“Overall, a slim majority of the public (53%) expresses a favorable view of Mormons, while 27% view Mormons unfavorably….

“About three-in-ten (31%) of those who express favorable opinions of Mormons cite personal experience as the biggest influence on their opinions, but a fairly large proportion of those with negative opinions of Mormons (23%) also point to their personal experiences as being most influential….”

From the Civility Initiative at the Johns Hopkins University and the Jacob France Institute of the University of Baltimore:

Popular primetime TV shows like “The Office” or “30 Rock” find humor in the rudeness and sarcasm of fictional employees, but in the real world, workplace boorishness is no laughing matter: Several forms of 9-to-5 incivility earned spots on the “Terrible Ten” list of rude behaviors, based on a new survey of 615 workers and others in Baltimore.

Discrimination at work tops the list of offenses, according to the survey by the Civility Initiative at The Johns Hopkins University and the Jacob France Institute of the University of Baltimore. Erratic or aggressive driving that endangers others — behavior typical of rush-hour commutes — and taking credit for someone else’s work round out the top three. Other working-world offenses on the list include treating service providers as inferiors and using cell phones during meetings to make calls or send text messages….

The complete list of “Terrible Ten” behaviors:

1. Discrimination in an employment situation.

2. Erratic/aggressive driving that endangers others.

3. Taking credit for someone else’s work.

4. Treating service providers as inferiors.

5. Jokes or remarks that mock another’s race/gender/age/disability/sexual preference or religion.

6. Children who behave aggressively or who bully others.

7. Littering (including trash, spitting, pet waste).

8. Misuse of handicapped privileges.

9. Smoking in non-smoking places or smoking in front of non-smokers without asking.

10. Using cell phones or text messaging in mid-conversation or during an appointment or meeting.

Categories of “rude” or “uncivil” behavior were derived from an informal survey, conducted online through Yahoo.com and Survey Monkey during a two-week period in May 2007….

From the Wall Street Journal and Harris Interactive®:

“President George W. Bush is taking steps to curb the expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which provides health insurance coverage to children in lower income households. These new restrictions heighten the ongoing battle between Congress and the Bush Administration as to the future of SCHIP, with Congressional Democrats seeking to expand rather than contract the program.

“While some U.S. adults are unsure about whether or not they would support the proposal to expand the program (34%), those who favor expansion outnumber those in opposition by four to one (53% support vs. 13% oppose). Although Republicans (42%) are less likely than Democrats (66%) or Independents (60%) to be in favor of the program’s proposal expansion, supporters still outnumber opponents by two to one….

“Congress has proposed funding the expansion of SCHIP by either increasing the federal tax on cigarettes or reducing the subsidies provided to commercial insurers that offer insurance coverage to seniors. Sixty-two percent of all adults say they strongly favor funding the expansion of SCHIP via increased tobacco taxes…. Only a minority — again across party lines — favor reducing the subsidies that are provided to insurers who cover seniors in order to expand coverage for children.

“Congressional Republicans and the Bush Administration have stated that expanding SCHIP is a bad idea because it is a form of socialized medicine that is run by big government. Regardless of party affiliation, only a minority of adults (22%) agrees with this statement. On the other side of the argument, Democrats contend that expanding the program is a good idea because it is highly successful in reducing the number of uninsured children in this country. Most adults (58%), including half of all Republicans (51%), side with the Democrats in this argument.

“Katherine Binns, Division President for Healthcare Research at Harris Interactive, comments, ‘These findings suggest that as the debate continues, public opinion will remain in favor of the Democrats’ position. With broad support for SCHIP spanning both sides of the political aisle among U.S. adults, it will be interesting to see if the Congress and Bush Administration can come to a consensus on this issue that Americans will view as acceptable.’…”

From the Conference Board:

“What happens when an employee’s freedom of religion crosses paths with a company’s interests? A recent article in The Conference Board Review looks to answer this question. In ‘Workers’ Rites,’ TCB Review explores how expression of religion in the workplace often challenges businesses to find appropriate solutions to employees’ requests.

” ‘Obviously, you can’t fire someone just because her faith differs from yours,’ writes associate editor Vadim Liberman. ‘But what happens when you face situations that aren’t so black and white — when the beliefs and practices of customers and co-workers come into play, not to mention the intricacies of employment law?’ As religion increasingly collides with corporate policies and practices, companies are asking what is and isn’t permissible behavior — for workers and for themselves.

“Last year, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission received 2,541 claims of religious discrimination in the workplace — almost 50 percent more than a decade ago. And according to the New York-based Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding, 66 percent of employees report ‘evidence of religious bias at work.’

“So what’s a company to do when it finds itself in a thorny predicament?

“To find out, the article examines numerous real-life scenarios of corporations struggling with how to balance an employee’s religious beliefs with their own goals. Each case was presented to diversity consultants, employment attorneys, and representatives from religious organizations for their recommendations in order to show what companies did right, did wrong, or what they didn’t do at all. For example:

“…What if … you run a tech-support company, and a technician refuses to provide help to a client that manufactures violent computer-software games? A devout Christian, she claims that servicing the customer would violate her faith. You explain that no other accounts have available openings, but she still objects.

“…What if … you have a contract agreement with a union that stipulates that all your workers must become members of the union, but one recently hired employee refuses to join? He says doing so would violate his religious beliefs.

“What if … a group of Christian employees objects to your company’s portion of diversity training dealing with gays and lesbians? To protest, they silently read the Bible when homosexuality comes up during a training session.

“Each of the above was an actual court case, and the article outlines how each case uncomfortably twisted its way to a conclusion.

“…In the end, just remember: ‘religious beliefs need not be acceptable, logical, consistent, or comprehensible to others in order to merit protection,’ according to the law. As more workers assert their religious rights at work, that very well may be corporate America’s new golden rule….”

From CareerBuilder.com and Harris Interactive:

“Ever wonder why you can’t seem to get anything done in the office? It may be because your co-workers are preoccupied with something other than work. ‘Workplace Taboos’ is a new CareerBuilder.com survey, conducted by Harris Interactive of more than 5,700 workers. The most common workplace taboos that workers admitted to taking part in include:

• “Falling asleep at work (45 percent)
• “Kissing a co-worker (39 percent)
• “Stealing from the office (22 percent)
• “Spreading a rumor about a co-worker (22 percent)
• “Consuming alcoholic beverages while on the job (21 percent)
• “Snooping after hours (18 percent)
• “Lying about an academic background (4 percent)
• “Taking credit for someone else’s work (2 percent)

“Men report that they engage in all of these workplace taboos more than women….

” ‘As companies continue to embrace more casual environments, employees may develop a false sense of informality when it comes to the office behavior,’ said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder.com. ‘Employees should make sure they are aware of company policies, so something that initially seems ‘harmless’ doesn’t end up negatively impacting a career.’…”