BY CHRISTINE CROSBY
As a parent and or a grandparent, one of the most important things we want for our children and grandchildren is for them to be honest and not be a liar, right? Well, that job seems to have failed miserably according to the following survey from BonusFinder.com which provided the following pitch on lying.
The following may be true and maybe not. We discovered, its actually just a way to get people to a casino site. Not to worry, we’ve removed the links, but thought this pitch made a good point. People are lying more and more. We live in the era of “fake news” so this does not come as a shock.
For some reality relief, read more here about teaching real values to grandchildren. This link is not a lie. It goes to GRAND’s website.
OK, so here’s their pitch…
In celebration of National Honesty Day (April 30th 2023) (Is National Honesty Day a real thing?) This company, BonusFinder.com claims to have surveyed 6,100 Americans to uncover the extent of dishonesty in the US. From telling lies to cheating in life, the survey claims to uncover the most common lies told by the nation and the states that are home to the biggest liars.
Highlights from the survey:
- Women are more likely to lie regularly than men (Now, this is hard to believe.)
- Vermont is home to the biggest liars as 36% of residents admit to regularly lying
- Men are more likely to lie to their partner than women
- Two-Fifths (41%) of Americans lie about whether they love someone
- This survey reveals over a fifth (22%) of Americans admit to lying regularly whilst over half (56%) of the country admit to lying occasionally.
Women are the biggest liars with more than a quarter (26%) admitting to regularly lying in comparison to just one in five men (19%). (Wait, if they admitted to lying more, doesn’t that make them more honest than men?)
With 96% of Americans admitting to lying, it’s no surprise that three in four (76%) Americans state that they are a good liar.
Top 10 States in America home to the biggest liars
| Rank | State | Percent of residents that rarely lie | Percent of residents that regularly lie |
| #1 | Vermont | 9.09% | 36.4% |
| #2 | Maine | 16.00% | 36.0% |
| #3 | West Virginia | 15.15% | 30.3% |
| #4 | Kansas | 11.11% | 29.6% |
| #5 | Wyoming | 54.55% | 27.3% |
| #6 | Alaska | 23.08% | 23.1% |
| #7 | South Dakota | 29.41% | 11.8% |
| #8 | Hawaii | 7.41% | 11.1% |
| #9 | Montana | 25.00% | 10.0% |
| #10 | Utah | 16.67% | 18.3% |
The survey claims that Vermont is home to the biggest liars in the US. When asked the question, zero Vermonters said that they never lie! Vermonters are most likely to lie to their parents and their friends, and most likely to lie about their education (91%) and whether or not they love someone (45%). (Not sweet little Vermont…say it isn’t so!)
The second-most untrustworthy state is Maine, also with 0% of participants saying that they never lie. Mainers are most likely to lie to their friends and their boss, and are also most likely to lie about their education (84%) and whether or not they love someone (36%), but also about how they’re feeling and their salary (36%).
Ranking third is West Virginia, with nearly a third of residents lying regularly. People from West Virginia are most likely to lie to their friends, with nearly half of respondents admitting to this. They are also most likely to lie about their education (94%), and a shocking 61% have lied about whether or not they love someone. Sadly, I think this is true.
Top 5 most truthful states in America
| Rank | State | Percent of residents that rarely lie | Percent of residents that regularly lie |
| #1 | North Dakota | 28.6% | 0.0% |
| #2 | New Hampshire | 12.0% | 24.0% |
| #3 | Nebraska | 16.7% | 25.0% |
| #4 | Alabama | 12.1% | 26.4% |
| #5 | Wisconsin | 26.9% | 21.3% |
Alabama? really? Someone is pulling our leg here, right?
The most truthful state in America is North Dakota, with no-one surveyed in North Dakota saying that they regularly lie. North Dakotans are most likely to lie to their boss (57%) and to lie about their education (93%). (Is this because it’s just too damned cold in ND to lie?)
New Hampshire ranks second, with 88% of the population admitting to lying in some form. New Hampshirites are most likely to lie to their boss (48%) and about their education (88%).
The third most honest state is Nebraska, with 8.3% of Nebraskans never lying. Similarly to the states above, 50% of Nebraskans lie to their boss, and 83% have lied about their education.
Top 5 most common lies told by Americans
- Lying on a resume (85%)
- Told someone their food tasted good when it didn’t (61%)
- Told someone they look good when they didn’t (47%)
- Edited a selfie before posting it to make themselves look better (44%)
- Told someone they have already left when they haven’t (38%) (OK, I admit to this one, once in a while).
Truth be told, no one likes liars and we sure don’t want our kids and grandkids doing it.
Read more here about teaching values to grandchildren.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR – CHRISTINE CROSBY
Christine is the co-founder and editorial director for GRAND Magazine. GRANDmother of five and great-grand to one.
