D.C. proves its dishonesty to Honest Tea

WASHINGTON – It wasn’t enough for the District of Columbia to show itself as the least honest place in America. A thief added to the area’s reputation by swiping the bicycle of the person conducting the honesty survey.

Earlier this month, the beverage company Honest Tea set up a kind of social experiment to test the honesty of every state in America.

In each location the company set up unattended kiosks stocked with chilled bottles of tea. A sign requested $1 per bottle, but it was all on the honor system.

Nearby, workers secretly recorded the results.

D.C. came in dead last in the honesty index.

But that’s not all. When Seth Goldman left Dupont Circle following the experiment, he realized his bike had been stolen.

“The whole bike was gone, so the lock had to have been cut,” said the Honest Tea CEO. “It was not the best show of honesty for the D.C. area on that day.”

Goldman had left his bike at the Bethesda Metro station. Maryland, also, finished near the bottom in honesty.

Nationwide, the informal survey found 92 percent of customers voluntarily paid for the tea.

State/City % HONEST
Alabama 100
Hawaii 100
Indiana 99
Maine 99
Iowa 98
Nevada 98
Oklahoma 98
Tennessee 98
Alaska 96
Arkansas 96
California 96
Nebraska 96
New Jersey 96
North Dakota 96
Oregon 96
Washington 96
Ohio 95
Vermont 95
Virginia 95
Illinois 94
Minnesota 94
South Carolina 94
Wyoming 94
Colorado 93
Georgia 93
Massachusetts 93
Montana 93
New Hampshire 93
Rhode Island 93
Wisconsin 93
Florida 92
Michigan 92
Missouri 92
New York 91
Pennsylvania 91
Idaho 90
Kansas 90
New Mexico 90
North Carolina 90
South Dakota 90
Connecticut 89
Maryland 89
Delaware 88
Utah 88
Kentucky 87
Texas 87
West Virginia 85
District of Columbia 80
Louisiana * * Not large enough Sample Size
Arizona * * Not large enough Sample Size
Mississippi * * Not large enough Sample Size
TOTAL AVERAGE 92

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