Academic Integrity and Cheating Culture Survey

Thanks for taking a few minutes on this one. Your answers are anonymous and won't be tied to your name or ID — we're trying to understand academic pressure and integrity honestly, not catch anyone. About 6-7 minutes.

In the past academic year, how often have you used a method you knew broke your school's academic integrity rules (e.g., copying answers, unauthorized notes, using AI tools without disclosure) on graded work?

• Never
• Once
• A few times
• Regularly
• Prefer not to answer

How would you classify each of the following, if a student did it?

How much pressure do you feel to earn top grades?

Which of these plays the biggest role in why students cheat, and which the smallest?

• Fear of failing the course
• Not enough time to prepare
• Grades feel more important than learning
• Unclear rules about what's allowed
• Belief that everyone else does it too
• Pressure from parents or family
• Coursework harder than what was taught
• Belief that penalties are rarely enforced

If your school had 100 points to spend on reducing cheating, how would you split them across these approaches?

• Clearer rules with concrete examples
• Smaller classes or more proctoring
• Harsher penalties for violations
• Redesigning assignments to be harder to copy
• Teaching better time-management skills
• Anonymous ways to report cheating

How confident are you that your school enforces its academic integrity policy consistently, regardless of who's involved?

Have you personally witnessed another student cheat in the last semester?

• Yes, multiple times
• Yes, once
• No
• Not sure

The last time you saw (or strongly suspected) cheating, what did you do?

• Reported it to an instructor or official
• Talked to the student directly
• Mentioned it to friends but no one official
• Ignored it
• Wasn't sure what to do
• This hasn't happened to me

Reconstruct one concrete, recent moment tied to cheating from the respondent's own experience — either something they did, something they witnessed, or a moment they were tempted and didn't. Anchor on what led up to it, what they were thinking at the decision point, and what happened afterward (caught, not caught, guilt, no reaction). If they deny any personal involvement or witnessing, redirect to how they believe their peers rationalize it and what would have to change for them to report it themselves.

That's the last question about behavior — a few quick background questions next, all optional.

What's your current year or grade level?

• Middle school
• High school - underclassman
• High school - upperclassman
• Undergraduate
• Graduate
• Prefer not to say

What's your major or primary field of study? (Feel free to leave this blank.)

How do you describe your gender?

• Woman
• Man
• Non-binary
• Prefer to self-describe
• Prefer not to say

Thank you for your honesty — this kind of question is hard to answer truthfully, and we appreciate it. Your responses will be combined with others to shape clearer policies and less punitive, more effective ways to support academic integrity.