Report: Cheating, lying and stealing among students lower now than ever

America's youth really isn't as troubled as some believe. The 2012 Report Card on the Ethics of American Youth by the Josephson Institute shows that cheating, lying and stealing among students is lower now than it ever was.

According to the study, 99 percent of the high school students surveyed said it is very important to have good moral character a nd 86 percent of students surveyed also say it's not worth it to lie or cheat because it hurts your character.

But 51 percent of students in the 2012 report admitted to cheating on an exam in the past year. But that's down 8 percentage points from 2010.

Researchers suggest that a recent shift in parenting trends contributed to the better findings.

F ore more information about the stud y, go to http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/26/15459845-young-people-cheating-a-bit-less-these-days-report-finds?lite .