Russian approval of 'white lies' almost doubled since Soviet Union MOSCOW, July 25 (UPI) -- A Russian pollster said the percentage of people who say it's OK to tell "white lies" for a good cause nearly doubled since the fall of the Soviet Union. The Levada Center said its poll -- "The Moral Limitations of Russians" -- posed 10 morality-themed questions and found 61 percent of those responding approved of telling "white lies" for a good cause, compared to 22 percent in a 1992 poll, RIA Novosti reported Thursday. The survey, taken last month, found 58 percent of respondents considered premarital sex to be acceptable behavior, up from 42 percent in 1992. Levada said the poll had a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points. No other details on methodology were reported.