A study investigated the view that the decline in the work ethic would be stronger in the Mount Druitt area west of Sydney, Australia, where unemployment is prominent in the community and the "dole-bludger" stereotype is correspondingly rife. (A "dole-bludger" cheats the system and is considered a parasite on the community.) The study described ideas students have about work and unemployment and discussed the consequences of such attitudes for those young people who must one day cope with unemployment. Twenty-four students from each of the three Mount Druitt high schools and 24 from each of two contrast schools were involved in a structured interviews. (These students were a subsample of approximately 650 Year 9 students who had participated in the Mount Druitt Longitudinal Study.) Results indicated that Mount Druitt students differed very little from their counterparts in the contrast schools. In fact, Mount Druitt students demonstrated higher work motivation, that is, they were more likely to choose a poorly paid job they did not like over the dole. The students demonstrated high motivation to obtain employment after completion of school and had high expectations of success. Students' responses indicated that the attitudes held about unemployment and the dole tended to be more extreme than expected in light of their encounters with unemployed people. The negative view of unemployment and the dole suggested serious consequences for the self-esteem and motivation of the students who must inevitably face unemployment. (The interview schedule is appended.) (YLB)