Take the ethical test now by clicking here or read on for a full explanation of moral DNA

WHAT would you do if, when you visit the ATM to withdraw £100, it dispenses £200 because it has been incorrectly stacked with £20 notes and not £10 notes. Would you keep the cash or return it to the bank? If you return the money would it be because: (a) It is wrong not to return someone else’s property; (b) It wouldn’t be fair to the bank’s shareholders; or (c) I might get found out and prosecuted for theft.

Each of the answers a, b or c is correct, with each representing one of the three main moral philosophies that guide our sense of what is right, according to Roger Steare, visiting professor of organisational ethics at Cass Business School in London and the author of ethicability.

Answer a represents our principled conscience - we do what’s right because it is the courageous, fair or kind thing to do. We often use this conscience in our close relationships. The problem is that principles often conflict and doing the right thing can be difficult, Professor Steare says.

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Answer b represents our social conscience - we decide what is right by considering the consequences of our actions on others. We use this most often at work and in communities. The problems associated with this might include marginalisation of minorities, that pleasure can be preferred over what’s good and that the ends can be used to justify the means.

Finally, answer c represents rule compliance - we don’t need to think because the rules tell us what is right and wrong. This is the most common moral philosophy used in business and remote transactions. The problem with rules is that they can cause us to stop thinking for ourselves and too many can promote rule breaking or stifle creativity.

The three moral philosophies - principled conscience, social conscience and rules compliance - make up our integrity, or moral DNA, which guides the way we live. For everyone the balance between the moral philosophies is different, depending on personality and experience.

To measure how people’s concepts of integrity differ, Professor Steare has devised the ethicability Moral DNA test, which is a quick, simple tool to measure how we prefer to make tough choices. Take the test and you will discover whether you are an angel, a philosopher or one of four other moral types.

The test is based on more than five years’ research with thousands of people from all over the world. “Our test data shows some very strong correlations between people’s moral DNA and variables such as gender, age, education, religion, politics and occupation.

“But while there are clear variations in these factors, what is also clear is that there is a common thread that unites almost all humanity,” Professor Steare says.

“Early results suggest that more government, more regulation and more legislation will continue to be counterproductive in achieving a good life for all.”

Take the test now to find out the composition of your moral DNA. Initial test results suggest that our ethics differ depending on age, gender, occupation, religion, politics and education, but not ethnicity. The Times is collaborating with Professor Roger Steare, who developed the test with Pavlos Stamboulides, a chartered psychologist in Athens. The Times data will be fed into the existing data and we will announce the results on Times Online in the autumn.

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