Nearly half of Canadians say it’s OK to lie to protect a relationship, according to a new survey.
Research Co. surveyed 1000 Canadians, finding that 45% said it’s OK to protect a relationship with lies, such as by withholding information that may cause anger or anxiety.
“Practically half of men (49%) see no problem with fibbing in order to protect a relationship, compared to 40% among women,” the report said.
Not only do many Canadians believe it’s sometimes OK to lie, many wish they’d been lied to at certain times throughout their lives.
Roughly half said there was a moment in their past in which they wished the truth had been concealed.
While respondents picked and chose different situations they thought it was appropriate to lie in, the group ironically held on to the ideal that no person should ever lie.
A strong majority (74%) said that people should always tell the truth, no matter the consequences.
The survey also revealed that those who voted NDP in the last federal election were least likely to say people should always be truthful (65%), compared to 80% of those who voted Conservative or Liberal.
The Research Co. survey was conducted online between Mar. 10th and 12th, and holds an accuracy margin of 3.2%, 19 times out of 20.
