Most Israeli parents do not trust that their peers are truthfully reporting the results of their children's twice-weekly home antigen tests, Kikar Hashabbat reported.
The survey was conducted by the Geocartography Institute, and led by Professor Avi Degani and Dr. Rina Degani, at the request of the Israel Center for Promotion of Fairness (ICPF).
Ninety-five percent (95%) of parents reported that they told the truth about their child's tests, but 70% of them said that they believe over a quarter of parents would report a negative test even if they did not test their child at all. One-third of those surveyed said they believe that over 50% of parents would report a negative test, even if they did not test their child at all.
In addition, 50% said that over a quarter of parents would report a negative result even if their child's test was positive.
Professor Dan Ariely, one of ICPF's founders, warned, "The findings of this survey show that many people think that others acted dishonestly and unfairly, and this can lead to inappropriate behavior on their part."
ICPF Director attorney Ehud Peleg warned that "this survey shows a picture of a very harsh reality of distrust."
Indeed, that 95% of parents said that they tell the truth, but a large percentage believe others do not tell the truth, is not in line with anecdotal evidence of parents bragging about falsifying their children's home antigen results or refusing to test at all. However, the recent Pegasus scandal, in which police used a military tool to spy on civilians, may have led parents to fear that responding truthfully to the survey could lead to consequences for themselves.