Record Numbers Believe Moral Standards are Declining in the U.S., Gallup Survey Finds

  • by:
  • Source: Wayne Dupree
  • 06/10/2023
According to a yearly Gallup survey issued on Friday, record numbers of individuals believe that moral standards in the nation are declining.

54% of respondents to the polling firm's most recent study said the moral standards of the country were "bad," an increase of four percentage points over the previous year. The yearly study, which began in 2002, had previously peaked at 49% in 2018.

A further 33% of respondents characterized American moral standards as "only fair," 10% as "good," and only 1% as "outstanding."

According to Gallup, "These ratings come at a time of increased gun violence in the United States, rising reports of disturbances on airplanes, altercations at public gatherings between attendees, a continued decline in religiosity, and an increasing willingness among elected officials to enact laws to regulate abortion, transgender health care, sports participation, and gun ownership."

According to the pollster, this year saw a slight increase of two points in the proportions of Republicans and Democrats who said the moral standards of the country were "bad," to 74% and 38% of respondents, respectively. Since last year, the percentage of independents who said the same has increased by seven points, reaching a record high of 51%.

According to Gallup, the decreasing opinions among independents are mostly to blame for the moral principles' rising unfavourable assessment.

In addition, the poll indicated that 83% of respondents said that moral standards in the US are "becoming worse," up 5 percentage points from the previous year and 16 points from 2021. In 2007, 82% was the previous peak. Only 12% of people believed moral standards are rising.

Gallup observed that the majority of respondents to an infrequent poll conducted last year identified a lack of care in how people treat one another as the nation's top moral issue. Republicans, meanwhile, were just as likely to list their main moral worry as a decline in religious belief.

From May 1 to 24, Gallup conducted a nationally representative, random telephone survey of 1,011 individuals. At a 95% confidence level, the margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.

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