How much do students know about ethics?

In the Spring of 2010 I conducted a survey among undergraduate graphic design students to find out how much they know about ethical issues in graphic design. The results showed that there are many issues they know little or nothing about. Questions concerning licensing fonts, reading terms and conditions for EULAs (End User License Agreements), and correct image use all showed that a high number of students are unsure and unclear about these issues. Of all the respondents, 59% of the students answered “sometimes” when asked if they only use properly licensed fonts and 16% said that they didn’t know what this meant. When asked if they read the legal copy on EULAs, 54% answered “sometimes.” When asked if it’s ok to use images that they find on Google, 23% answered with “I don’t know.” Nearly half of them didn’t know what working on speculation means. Students were confused about issues of sustainability and social responsibility as well.Download a pdf with the all the survey results: emkane_survey_resultsHow much do you think graphic designer students know about ethics?