Released on = January 20, 2007, 3:29 am

Press Release Author = Paul Kinsella

Industry = Internet & Online

Press Release Summary = 100 wallets were deliberately dropped in front of hidden
cameras to test honesty.

Press Release Body = The results of a sociological experiment testing human honesty
have been made public by the webmaster of www.WalletTest.com Data was collected with
the help of hidden cameras that recorded 100 random people in public places picking
up \'lost\' wallets that were planted there for them to find. The purpose of the
experiment (conducted in the city of Belleville, Illinois) was to see who would be
honest and return the wallets and who would be dishonest and keep them. Visitors to
the website can view short films of all 100 wallet pickers and even listen to
recorded phone conversations of the people who tried to redeem the fake gift
certificates that were planted in the wallets. One of the more controversial aspects
of the experiment is that the results were broken down into categories such as
gender, age and race. Differences between these groups are shown, in detail, on the
websites results page.

What was in the wallets?
- $2.10 in real money
- a fake $50.00 gift certificate
- A clearly written ID card with the
name, address and phone number
of the wallet\'s owner.
- Plus a few miscellaneous items

How honest were people?
Of the 100 wallets -
74 were returned
26 were stolen.

How did women compare to men?
The men who were tested were over twice as likely to steal the lost wallets then the
women who were tested.

How did young people compare to older people?
The young people tested were over twice as likely to steal the wallets then the
middle-aged people tested and over three times as likely to steal the wallets then
old people who were tested.



Web Site = http://www.wallettest.com/

Contact Details = Webmaster: Paul Kinsella
404 Hughes St.
New Athens, IL. 62264
(618)475-2852
paulrogerkinsella@hotmail.com