Gallup has tracked how Americans think about moral and cultural values each May for a quarter century. In her recent review, Gallup’s Megan Brenan provided an important and in-depth update of the current measures.
In this report, I’m going to step back and take a broader look at how these views have evolved over time. These long-term trends provide remarkable insights into a changing American cultural landscape.
From this big-picture perspective, one conclusion is immediately evident. There has been a significant increase over the past decades in the perceived moral acceptability of the majority of the 19 issues tested.
Americans’ views on all of these issues have moved in the more liberal direction or show no significant change between Gallup’s first measurement and our latest update.
But there are interesting dynamics behind this simple comparison of the beginning and end points. Despite the long-term upticks, we’ve seen a leveling off or even a reversal in increased liberalization on many of these trends over the past several years. The gradual and seemingly inexorable increase in acceptance of previously unacceptable behaviors, in short, has come to a halt in many instances.
In the analyses that follow, I’ll look at what’s happening to Americans’ views of each issue on a detailed basis. And to facilitate this process, I’ve grouped the behaviors Gallup tracks into five categories:
- Behaviors Related to Sexual Relations and Marriage
- Views on the Treatment of Animals
- Life and Death Issues
- Sexual Orientation and Gender
- Other Behaviors
1. Behaviors Related to Sexual Relations and Marriage
Six questions on the moral acceptability list ask about behaviors related to sexuality, family structure and personal freedom:
- having a baby outside of marriage
- sex between unmarried people
- divorce
- sex between teenagers
- polygamy
- married men and women having an affair
Americans have, over the years, become more likely to say five of these six behaviors are morally acceptable. (The exception is “married men and women having an affair”; more about this below.)
These broad changes reflect the increasing impact of “personal choice” norms in America. Individuals, the public is apparently saying, can make up their own minds about behaviors related to sexual relations and marriage. This marks a shift. A quarter century ago, Americans were significantly less likely to condone the behaviors.
As noted above, however, the liberalization trend on these measures appears to have stopped. Americans’ views that these behaviors are morally acceptable have either stabilized or dropped over the past several years.
Will this moderation in Americans’ long-term tendency to be more liberal on sexual and marriage norms continue? Does this mark a significant turning point in American cultural attitudes?
We don’t have firm answers to those questions. As any student of public opinion is aware, there are often ups and downs in attitudinal trends. Some of these are temporary, and underlying trends resume over time. In other instances, the short-term changes represent the beginning of a significant and more long-lasting trend. In this situation, the best strategy is to note shifts that have occurred within the past year or two and then monitor what we find in the years ahead.
Here is a detailed review of what the data show:
- The moral acceptance of divorce, unmarried sexual relations and having a baby outside of marriage have all increased significantly since 2001. At this point, acceptance is well above the majority point for all three: divorce (75% acceptable), unmarried sex (68%) and having a baby outside of marriage (67%). But in all three instances, these liberalization trends have plateaued. Current readings on all three are slightly lower than two to three years ago.
- Less than half of Americans say sex between teenagers is morally acceptable. But the trends are similar to other behaviors in this group. Acceptance rose over the years but has recently leveled off. Gallup’s first measure on teenage sex was in 2013, with 32% acceptance. Today, acceptance is up to 41%. But that is down from a high of 46% in 2022.
- Relatively few Americans say polygamy is morally acceptable. But there too has been a change on this issue over time. In 2001, only 7% of Americans found polygamy acceptable. This began rising in 2011. Between 2022 and 2024, acceptance reached a much higher 23%. But the upward trend has leveled off this year, back to 21%.
- Very few Americans over the years have said that married men and women having an affair is morally acceptable. This disapprobation of marital infidelity appears to be a remarkably robust norm in American society. We’ve seen little change in this measure over time. Acceptance was at 7% in 2001. It’s 8% today.
As noted, it is too early to tell if the leveling off in acceptance of most of these behaviors is a short-term or a long-term change. But it bears close monitoring. Americans’ attitudes toward these behaviors, I believe, have significant implications for the future of our culture and for our social structure.
2. Views on the Treatment of Animals
Three questions on the list deal with humans’ relationships with animals. The big change has come in reference to medical testing on animals. The other two measures have been relatively static.
Here are the details:
- Americans are split right down the middle in their views about medical testing on animals. A little less than half today say it’s acceptable, and a little less than half say it’s unacceptable. But this marks a significant change. In 2001, almost two-thirds found such testing acceptable. Acceptance from that point has dropped steadily. This marks one of the few issues on which Americans have become less accepting over time.
- By almost a 2-to-1 margin, Americans say cloning animals is morally wrong. The majority are opposed. These views have not changed materially over time.
- About six in 10 Americans say buying and wearing clothing made of animal fur is morally acceptable. The trend has fluctuated slightly over time, but Americans’ attitudes today are very similar to what they were in 2001.
3. Life and Death Issues
Six of the issues included in Gallup’s update can be classified as dealing, in one way or another, with life and death issues. Americans are decidedly negative about the morality of two of these, suicide and cloning humans. Americans are roughly divided on the morality of the death penalty and abortion. And, by contrast, there is widespread agreement on the morality of birth control and using human stem cells for research.
- Americans’ view that the death penalty is morally acceptable is now at 56%. This represents a slight decline over time. In 2001, 63% said the use of the death penalty was acceptable. (The 56% who say the death penalty is morally acceptable is slightly higher than the 53% who, in separate polling, say they favor the death penalty for people convicted of murder.)
- Most Americans say suicide is morally wrong. But the percentage saying it is morally acceptable — now about one-fifth of U.S. adults — has risen. In 2001, only 13% viewed suicide as acceptable.
- A majority of Americans say medical research using stem cells obtained from human embryos is morally acceptable. Acceptance of stem cell research is up somewhat over time. A little more than half agreed in 2001. That percentage is now up to 63%.
- Very few Americans believe cloning humans is morally acceptable. This is one of the lowest acceptability ratings we’ve measured, and there have been only minor fluctuations in these attitudes. The 8% who agree today is almost identical to the 7% recorded a quarter century ago.
- By contrast, the vast majority of Americans say that the use of birth control is acceptable. This is the highest acceptability of any behavior we measure (90% this year). These views have not changed significantly since we began measuring it in 2012.
- Over the years, Gallup has tracked a wide variety of measures on Americans’ attitudes toward abortion. In this list, the question is simply one of perceived “moral acceptability.” The latest results show 49% saying abortion is morally acceptable; 40% say it is not. This is a general increase compared with the years 2001-2020. But, like other issues, it is down slightly from higher updates in the years 2022-2024.
4. Sexual Orientation and Gender
Americans’ acceptance of gay or lesbian relations has risen substantially over time. The increase has, in fact, been one of the largest in this series. Well less than half found such relations acceptable in 2001 (40%). That percentage rose steadily. By 2022, 71% approved. But the rising tide of acceptance has recently leveled off. The percentage has stabilized at 64% in each of the past three years.
(Similar to the situation in reference to the death penalty and abortion, Gallup has asked a wide variety of questions about gay or lesbian relations over the years. These include a frequently updated trend about legalized same-sex marriage. This year, 68% approve, quite similar to the percentage finding gay or lesbian relations morally acceptable.)
Gallup only began measuring changing one’s gender in 2021 (and we have asked about it three times since). Thus, we can’t talk about long-term trends in Americans’ views of this behavior. But there have been some shifts in the short term. This year, 40% of Americans say changing one’s gender is morally acceptable. That is slightly lower than the 46% measured in 2021.
5. Other Behaviors
Pornography and Gambling
Both gambling and pornography are legal in the U.S., but with variable levels of control and state-specific legal constrictions. Regardless of legal restrictions, Americans are on board with the morality of gambling, but much more negative toward pornography.
- A majority of Americans have said and continue to say gambling is morally acceptable. From a big-picture perspective, this hasn’t changed materially over time. The most recent reading is 63%, the same as in 2001. But like many other measures in our list, that’s down from a recent peak of 71% acceptance in 2020 and 2022.
- We have seen a slight increase in acceptability of pornography over time. Gallup began including pornography in the May survey in 2011. At that point, 30% found it acceptable. That rose to as high as 43% in 2018. Today, acceptance has slipped back to 35%.
Political Differences
Democrats (and Democratic-leaning independents) are more accepting than Republicans (and Republican-leaning independents) of most of the moral and values issues tested in this research. As Gallup’s previous report indicated, Republicans are, in fact, more likely than Democrats to find just three of the 20 issues tested morally acceptable: the death penalty, medical testing on animals, and buying and wearing clothing made of animal fur.
These patterns come as no surprise. Democrats were most accepting when Gallup began tracking these issues 25 years ago. It generally remains so today.
But there are some differences by partisan group in the slope of change. Partisan gaps have widened slightly on 12 cultural and social issues. On six other issues, the gap has remained essentially constant. And on two issues, the gap has narrowed.
Democrats remain more accepting than Republicans on all of the 12 issues on which the partisan gap has widened. The widening gap has been caused by Democrats becoming more accepting over time, Republicans less accepting or a combination of the two. In some of these instances, the widening gap has been observed only this year. And the degree of the increased gap varies across issues.
The 12 issues with a widening gap between Democrats and Republicans include:
- abortion
- doctor-assisted suicide
- sex between unmarried people
- divorce
- cloning animals
- suicide
- gambling
- polygamy
- gay or lesbian relations
- pornography
- birth control
- changing one’s gender
On most other issues, the partisan gap between Democrats and Republicans has not changed significantly.
- On two of these issues with a stable gap, Republicans remain more accepting than Democrats: the death penalty and buying and wearing clothing made of animal fur.
- On four of these issues, Democrats remain more accepting than Republicans: married men and women having an affair, stem cell research, having a baby outside of marriage, and sex between teenagers.
The partisan gap has narrowed on two issues:
- Medical testing on animals: Republicans, in particular, have become less accepting of animal testing, moving them closer to Democrats’ historically lower levels of acceptance.
- Cloning humans: Democrats and Republicans now have roughly the same views on human cloning. This is a shift from recent years due to a decline in acceptance among Democrats.
Age Differences
Megan Brenan’s previous analysis of these data showed significant generational divides on the majority of moral and values issues tested.
- Young people are the most accepting of 11 of the 20 behaviors tested. This follows a traditional pattern by which younger Americans tend to be the most liberal on moral and values issues.
- There are two issues on which younger people are now less accepting than older adults: medical testing on animals and married people having an affair.
- On five issues, acceptance levels across age groups are roughly similar: birth control, stem cell research, the death penalty, gambling and suicide.
- Middle-aged Americans are more accepting than both younger and older Americans on two issues: doctor-assisted suicide and pornography.
The relatively small sample sizes involved when individual age groups are isolated mean that age groups’ acceptance can vary somewhat from survey to survey. This makes precise analysis of trends within age groups over time more challenging. But several of the changes are worth highlighting.
Perhaps counter to expectations, younger Americans (aged 18 to 34) have become especially less accepting in the past two to three years on three issues:
- Pornography: Young people are now less accepting than middle-aged Americans.
- Sex between teenagers: Young people are now little different than middle-aged Americans.
- Married men and women having an affair: Young people are now the least accepting, although acceptance is very low among all groups.
On three issues, younger people’s acceptance has increased disproportionately more than other age groups:
- Buying and wearing clothing made of animal fur: Young people’s acceptance is up, and they are now the most accepting.
- Sex between unmarried men and women: Young people clearly remain the most accepting.
- Polygamy: Young people’s acceptance is up significantly over time. But this rising tide of acceptance has leveled off in recent years, although young people continue to be more accepting than those who are older.
On other issues, older people’s acceptance is up disproportionately compared with other age groups:
- Sex between unmarried men and women: Older acceptance is up, while middle-aged acceptance is down, resulting in a narrower age gap than in previous years.
- Having a baby outside of marriage: Older acceptance has increased, producing more convergence across the three age groups. Young people remain the most liberal on this issue, nevertheless.
Bottom Line
Americans’ views of the morality of values-oriented behaviors have changed in several ways over the past 25 years.
First, Americans have become more likely to adopt a permissive or liberal view of a number of the behaviors measured in this research. This is particularly true for issues related to sexual behavior and marriage, as well as views of suicide and stem cell research.
Second, this pattern of increasingly liberal views since 2001 has mostly either stopped or reversed itself over the past several years. These are not major shifts. Americans remain more accepting than 25 years ago on several measures. But the current levels of acceptance are down from the peaks measured a few years ago.
More research and more time are necessary to understand this recent shift. It may be a temporary, short-term change. Or it could be evidence of a more substantial shift in Americans’ moral and values positioning. Regardless, it bears watching.
Third, liberalization is not universal. Americans’ moral acceptance of several issues has not changed significantly. These include cloning animals and cloning humans, buying and wearing clothing made of animal fur, gambling, birth control, and married men and women having an affair.
The trends in how Americans look at these moral and values-oriented behaviors are important. The direction of the culture’s normative acceptance or rejection of the behaviors of its members can have potentially profound implications for the future of our society.
As one example, I wrote about the liberalization trends in attitudes related to sexual behavior and marriage several years ago.
As I noted then, the interpretation of these trends varies widely.
Some argue that the broad shift in individual and personal choice decisions is a positive step. It frees society from outdated normative expectations about marriage and when and with whom sexual behavior is conducted.
Others argue that these trends toward personal choice have negative consequences. One of the most significant is the implication for marriage and having children. A decline in socially shared expectations about sexual behavior and marriage can translate into real-world behavior. Indeed, we have seen significant declines in both marriage and fertility rates in the U.S. in recent years.
In general, we don’t fully understand the reasons why groups of Americans — conservative or liberal, young or old — change their minds about the moral acceptability of various behaviors.
There is no shortage of possible causal influences. The whole issue of moral and values behaviors generates a great deal of public attention. Groups and high-profile individuals push for changes in both directions. Some argue for increased acceptance of individual behaviors regardless of historic norms. Others want society to return to the position where expectations about behavior are widely shared. Some define the increase in acceptance of personal behaviors as an inevitable byproduct of advancing civilization. Others decry the changes as evidence of the decline of society into an amoral free-for-all.
How effective these public arguments are for the acceptance of, or the legislative control of, these behaviors is best monitored by systematic surveys of public attitudes. Gallup’s monitor of trends in the American public’s views on these issues, as seen in this review, does just that.
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