Seven studies find elite more unethical than ordinary Americans

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - Seven studies using experimental and naturalistic methods reveal that upper-class individuals behave more unethically than lower-class individuals... Upper-class individuals were more likely to break the law while driving, relative to lower-class individuals....Upper-class individuals were more likely to exhibit unethical decision-making tendencies, take valued goods from others, lie in a negotiation, cheat to increase their chances of winning a prize, and endorse unethical behavior at work than were lower-class individuals. Mediator and moderator data demonstrated that upper-class individuals’ unethical tendencies are accounted for, in part, by their more favorable attitudes toward greed.