Clusters of ethical conceptions among Latin American university students

Abstract

This text discusses perceptions of ethical values based on interactions across different social strata and
academic fields. The aim was to group and evaluate students’ perceptions of ethics in various Latin
American countries using specific variables related to the topic. The social profile of members from
different groups is described by shared characteristics and values. This cross-sectional study included
326 students from seven countries; 66.9% were women, and 66.7% were enrolled in public universities.
The initial cluster in the dendrogram showed a similarity of 26; two main groups were later formed using
Ward’s method at a Euclidean distance of 15, generating several terminal subgroups of 16 and 14 at
various similarity distances across the full sample. The findings highlight the importance of establishing
ethical norms and values across all university settings in order to foster improved social habits.