NEW JERSEY – New Jersey is among the US states most likely to lie, with 23% of the population admitting to lying often, and a further 58% lying sometimes.
That’s according to BonusFinder.com, who surveyed 6,100 Americans and uncovered some of the most common lies told across the US, and dished the dirt on dishonesty in New Jersey.
The top 15 lies most told by New Jerseyans:
| Lie | % of New Jerseyans guilty of telling this lie | National average |
| Lied on your CV or in an interview | 86% | 85% |
| Your education | 86% | 85% |
| Told someone their food tasted good when it didn’t | 62% | 61% |
| Your salary | 45% | 41% |
| Told someone they look good when you don’t think they do | 41% | 42% |
| Told someone you’ve already left to meet them when you haven’t | 39% | 39% |
| You love someone | 36% | 41% |
| Called in sick to work without actually being sick | 31% | 34% |
| Why you were late/did not turn up | 31% | 28% |
| Spent money from a joint account and lied about it | 29% | 30% |
| Your Job/Profession | 29% | 28% |
| How you’re feeling | 29% | 27% |
| Your height | 27% | 27% |
| Not told your partner who you are going out with | 26% | 26% |
| Your age | 25% | 29% |
People from New Jersey are most likely to lie on their CVs or in an interview than the national average, with 86% of New Jerseyans admitting to lying compared to 85% of Americans in general.
Similarly, when it comes to lying about food, 62% of New Jerseyans say they have told someone their cooking tasted good when it didn’t, while the national average is 61%.
When asked about who they lie most often to it was revealed that:
- 40% lie most often to their boss
- 39% lie most often to their friends
- 39% lie most often to colleagues
- 38% lie most often to their parents
- 27% lie most often to strangers
- 24% lie most often to a partner/spouse
- 23% lie most often to other family members
How does New Jersey compare to neighboring states?
| State | % of residents that lie often |
| New Jersey | 23% |
| Pennsylvania | 23% |
| New York | 23% |
| Delaware | 22% |
Interestingly, compared to neighboring states, New Jerseyans have a lower tendency to call in sick at work, with only 31% admitting to doing so, whereas 39% of Delawareans have. On the other hand, New Jerseyans are twice as likely to cheat in a game with friends, with 23% admitting to it, compared to only 11% in Delaware.
You can find the survey results dataset and a comprehensive breakdown of the findings for New Jersey here.
