Are wealthy people less ethical than poor people?

(WXYZ) - The old adage is that "the rich are different", but a new study suggests that the wealthy do behave differently. The study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences finds that some rich people are unethical. 

Scientists found that the rich tend to "see greed and self-interest as good pursuits." That's according to Paul Piff , a Berkeley doctoral candidate, who is the author of the study. The scientists looked at a number of scenarios and found that the wealthy were more likely to lie or break the law than the poorer people.

The study did not determine whether the rich get to the top because of their unethical behavior or if they started behaving badly once they got wealthy.

Piff also notes that the results do not apply to all  people with money. Piff singled out Bill Gates and Warren Buffett for their wealth and philanthropy. He also noted that high crime rates in poverty stricken areas contradict the study's findings.