Over 75% of Current High School Students in the Reiwa Era "Have Lied This Year" - The Number of Lies Revealed...

Tomorrow, April 1st, is April Fool's Day. It's known as "a day when it's okay to lie," a day filled with jokes among friends and humorous posts on social media. There are various theories about its origin, but a prominent one points to 16th-century France. It's said to have begun when people who continued to celebrate the New Year in April were teased after the calendar change shifted the New Year to January. From there, it spread worldwide as a "culture of enjoying lies and pranks." In connection with such a "day when lies are permitted," Wakamono Research, a marketing information site targeting teenagers and current high school students (https://wakamono-research.co.jp/media/), conducted a survey on the reality of "lying" among current high school students in the Reiwa era.

[It was found that three out of four current high school students had already lied this year!] First, when we asked current high school students (male and female) nationwide, "Have you lied this year?", "Yes" 75.7% "No" 24.3% The results showed that three out of four current high school students had already experienced many lies, even though only a few months had passed since the beginning of 2026.

On the other hand, looking at the reasons given by the 24.3% of high school students who answered "No" to lying, - "Because lying is wrong" - "Because nothing good comes from lying" - "Because people who lie are not trusted" - "Because lying is not good" Many words like "trust" and "nothing good" appeared in their responses. They might have a sense that while lying might seem good in the short term, in the long run, it leads to a loss of trust and comes back to haunt them.

Also, - "I'm bad at lying" - "I'm not good at lying" - "Because I'm an honest person" - "I live honestly" - "Because I'm pure" High school students who identify themselves as "people who don't lie" were also prominent. It seems they are seen as "honest characters" by friends and others, and some high school students avoid lying out of a strong desire not to break their character.

In addition, - "Because I don't have opportunities to lie" - "Because I haven't met friends during holidays" - "Because I haven't met anyone" - "Because there's nothing to lie about" Some high school students said they simply didn't have the opportunity to lie. If student life is centered around online activities or long holidays, the situations that require lying may naturally decrease. While less time spent with people reduces lie-related troubles, it might also mean missing opportunities to have fun with "lies as entertainment."

[Among high school students who have lied, "lied 10 times or more this year" was the most common!] Next, a survey was conducted among current high school students (male and female) nationwide who had lied, asking, "How many times have you lied this year?" When asked to choose from five options: "1 time," "2-3 times," "4-5 times," "6-9 times," and "10 times or more," The most common answer was "10 times or more" at 46.7%. It was found that nearly half of the high school students who lied this year do so as a matter of course every day.

Looking at the reasons, the most prominent was lying "to protect oneself or others." - "To protect myself" - "To protect people and myself" - "Because I was in danger" - "Because I was in a situation where I had to lie" These responses were received. Here, "danger" refers not to physical danger but to mental or relational damage such as "being scolded," "having one's evaluation drop," or "being disliked." Considering this, it could be interpreted as straightforwardly "lying to avoid being scolded."

Many high school students also responded that they lie "to avoid being scolded," - "Because I'm scared of being scolded" - "Because I'd probably be scolded if I didn't lie" - "Because it was more convenient to lie" - "To suit my own convenience" Such comments were also received. This suggests an atmosphere where "getting through the situation with a lie" feels easier than "telling the truth and confronting it head-on." Lies might be chosen as the "shortest route" to avoid the risk of being scolded, the length of a lecture, the hassle, and so on.

Also, - "To skip club activities for a part-time job, etc." - "Because I was going to be significantly late for club activities" - "Because I didn't finish my homework" Some high school students lied when they lacked time or resources. Such students seem to have a habit of it, tending to have strong "habit of taking days off" and "habit of being late." Thinking about it... it might be necessary for them to be scolded a little to straighten up.

In addition, - "To avoid hurting others" - "Lies to prevent people from being sad" - "To avoid spoiling the atmosphere" - "To make the story convenient" - "I think there are lies that are okay to tell in this world, so I often lie" Some high school students lied out of kindness "to avoid hurting others," while others, - "Because I sometimes tell jokes to get a laugh" - "To liven up the atmosphere" - "We were playing a game of deceiving each other with friends" - "Because I played a lot of Werewolf" Used lies as entertainment itself in their daily lives. - "Daily life is full of lies" - "Because I have a habit of lying" - "I live by lying" - "Because I like to deceive people" - "Because I'm imitating a jester by lying" Some high school students had no guilt about lying and made it part of their character.

Could the background to these behaviors include recent SNS flame wars and cyberbullying? It can also be interpreted that they interact with others wearing the mask of "a lying self" precisely because they are a little afraid to show their "true self" as it is, and as a result, they lie as a matter of course in their daily lives.

[Minority groups tend to tell "carefully selected lies," while the "zero-lie" group protects their "honest character"] Following "10 times or more," the next most common was "2-3 times" (19.8%).

High school students who gave this answer provided responses such as: - "I told a lie out of consideration for others" - "It was a lie to avoid hurting someone" - "To avoid hurting the other person" - "Because it was a necessary lie" These responses gave the impression that they told relatively "carefully selected lies."

Comments such as: - "To facilitate things" - "To prevent the other person from feeling down when they gave me the same gift" - "I lied to avoid hurting my mother" Also suggested that they assigned meaning to each lie, organizing it in their minds as "this was necessary" before telling it.

Next, high school students who answered "4-5 times" (13.2%) gave responses such as: - "To skip school" - "I told my parents a reduced amount of New Year's money" - "Because I'd be scolded if it was found out I bought sweets" - "I wanted to hide a secret with a friend" - "I lied that the food was delicious, etc." This group tended to tell slightly more "aggressive" lies in their daily lives. However, - "I lied as a joke" - "I lied playfully" These humorous opinions were also included, suggesting that rather than purely "dark lies," they skillfully used the gray area.

Next, high school students who answered "1 time" (12.8%) provided responses such as: - "Because there are truths I don't want known" - "I wanted to show off a little" - "Because it was inconvenient" - "I secretly went to see a movie twice, but when I went with a friend, I said 'This is my first time!'" These responses were collected, and they seemed to clearly remember that single lie. This reflects subtle shifts in human relationships and their own pride.

Also, - "I was tempted" - "I lied to my cram school teacher that I hadn't failed my desired school" These responses also conveyed a sense of "regret for what I did." Since it was such a significant lie for them, this one lie might become unforgettable throughout their lives.

Finally, high school students who answered "6-9 times" (7.5%) gave responses such as: - "Because a lie is sometimes expedient" - "Because I tend to lie when things are inconvenient" - "Because sometimes lying hurts people less" - "Because I wanted to lie to protect myself" This group tended to build relationships with a certain amount of "lying included," citing both "protecting oneself" and "protecting others" as reasons.

Some high school students also said, "I counted that many, but I might have lied more," This suggests that if they exceed 6 lies, they are lying several times a month as a matter of course, and it cannot be denied that if they recall more lies, the total could exceed 10.

[Details of this survey result can be found here] The details and full scope of the survey results introduced here can be viewed on "Wakamono Research." https://wakamono-research.co.jp/media/modern-students-lie-frequency/

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