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    Americans Remain Negative on State of Nation's Moral Values

    Americans Remain Negative on State of Nation's Moral Values

    by Joseph Carroll

    GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

    PRINCETON, NJ -- Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs poll finds Americans are very pessimistic about the current state of moral values in the United States, as has typically been the case in recent years. Only about one in six Americans describe the state of moral values in the country in positive terms, and perceptions that moral values are "poor" in the country are at their highest point, edging closer to the 50% mark. More than 8 in 10 Americans think morality is getting worse, representing a slight increase in the past three years. The groups of Americans who are most negative about moral values in this country include senior citizens, blacks, women, conservative Republicans, Protestants, and weekly churchgoers.

    Americans' Ratings of Moral Values in the United States

    The May 10-13, 2007 poll finds that only about one in six Americans describe the state of moral values in the country today as excellent (1%) or good (16%), while 39% describe them as only fair and 44% as poor. Americans have consistently rated morality in non-positive terms since Gallup first asked this question in 2002. But, the percentage describing the nation's values as poor is at its highest point (albeit by two percentage points), and is edging closer to the 50% mark. The current 44% poor moral values rating is similar to the 42% measured last year, but these percentages are up from an average of 39% from polls conducted from 2002 through 2005.

    More than 8 in 10 Americans (82%) also say the state of moral values in the country as a whole is getting worse, while just 11% say it is getting better. These perceptions have consistently been negative, but have deteriorated over the past three years. In 2002 and 2003, perhaps as a result of the general rally effect that occurred in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, a relatively lower percentage, two in three Americans, said moral values were getting worse. This increased to 77% in both 2004 and 2005, before edging up over 80% in each of the last two years.

    The combined results of these two questions create an overall view of Americans' perceptions of moral values in the country at this time, allowing for a three-category classification:

    Positive: those who rate current conditions as excellent or good, and those who say conditions are getting better or staying the same.

    Mixed: those who describe moral values as excellent or good right now, but think they are getting worse, or conversely, say moral values are only fair or poor but are getting better.

    Negative: those who say morality in the country is only fair or poor right now, and that it is either remaining that way or getting worse.

    In all, just 8% of Americans fall into the positive category regarding their overall views of morality, with 14% having mixed views, and more than three in four (76%) having negative views of morality in the country. Americans' views of moral values, according to the combined results of the two questions, have also become more negative since 2002.

    How Different Groups of Americans Perceive Moral Values in the U.S.

    Since Americans' ratings of moral values have been quite stable (and negative) in recent years, Gallup combined the results of its past three May surveys, conducted in 2005 through 2007, to better examine which groups of Americans are relatively more or less negative about the state of morality in the country.

    Americans in all key subgroups are pessimistic in their views of moral values in the U.S.

    At the same time, there are certain groups of Americans who are particularly negative about morality: adults aged 65 and older, blacks, women, Republicans, self-described conservatives, conservative Republicans, Protestants, and those who attend church every week.

    Young adults (ages 18 to 29), those residing in household earning $75,000 or more per year, adults with post graduate educations, and those with no religious preference tend to be slightly less negative about morality in the United States.

    Here is a summary of the results:

    Negative Perceptions of Morality in the U.S.
    May 2005 - May 2007 Aggregate

    Current conditions are poor

    Moral outlook getting worse

    Overall perceptions of moral values is negative

    %

    %

    %

    Total

    41

    80

    74

     

     

     

    Men

    37

    77

    72

    Women

    46

    82

    76

     

     

     

    18-29

    31

    74

    63

    30-49

    40

    80

    73

    50-64

    44

    81

    77

    65 and older

    51

    83

    82

     

     

     

    Whites

    40

    79

    73

    Blacks

    48

    85

    81

     

     

     

    Republicans

    45

    84

    78

    Independents

    42

    80

    74

    Democrats

    38

    76

    70

     

     

     

    Conservatives

    49

    86

    81

    Moderates

    39

    79

    74

    Liberals

    32

    71

    61

     

     

     

    Liberal Democrats

    32

    69

    62

    Moderate Democrats

    37

    77

    73

    Conservative Democrats

    51

    88

    81

    Pure independents

    44

    81

    74

    Liberal/Moderate Republicans

    39

    82

    72

    Conservative Republicans

    48

    84

    81

     

     

     

    Attend church weekly

    49

    85

    81

    Attend church almost weekly/monthly

    41

    80

    74

    Attend church seldom/never

    36

    77

    70

     

     

     

    Protestants

    45

    82

    77

    Catholics

    37

    78

    74

    No religious preference

    35

    76

    66

     

     

     

    Less than $30,000 annually

    47

    83

    77

    $30,000-$74,999 annually

    42

    81

    76

    $75,000 or more annually

    35

    76

    69

     

     

     

    East

    39

    80

    73

    Midwest

    41

    80

    74

    South

    42

    82

    76

    West

    43

    77

    73

     

     

     

    High school education or less

    48

    81

    75

    Some college

    43

    82

    77

    College graduate

    36

    77

    72

    Postgraduate education

    29

    74

    69

    Survey Methods

    Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,003 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted May 10-13, 2007. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

    How would you rate the overall state of moral values in this country today -- as excellent, good, only fair, or poor?

    Excellent

    Good

    Only fair

    Poor

    No opinion

    %

    %

    %

    %

    %

    2007 May 10-13

    1

    16

    39

    44

    1

    2006 May 8-11

    1

    13

    43

    42

    2

    2005 May 2-5

    2

    17

    40

    39

    2

    2004 May 2-4

    1

    18

    40

    40

    1

    2003 May 5-7

    2

    20

    42

    35

    1

    2002 May 6-9

    1

    17

    41

    40

    1

    Right now, do you think the state of moral values in the country as a whole is getting better or getting worse?

    Getting better

    Getting worse

    SAME
    (vol.)

    No
    opinion

    %

    %

    %

    %

    2007 May 10-13

    11

    82

    4

    2

    2006 May 8-11

    11

    81

    6

    3

    2005 May 2-5

    16

    77

    5

    2

    2004 May 2-4

    16

    77

    5

    2

    2003 May 5-7

    24

    67

    7

    2

    2002 May 6-9

    24

    67

    7

    2

    (vol.) = Volunteered response

    MORAL VALUES OUTLOOK GROUPS

    Positive

    Mixed

    Negative

    Undesignated

    %

    %

    %

    %

    2007 May 10-13

    8

    14

    76

    2

    2006 May 8-11

    7

    12

    77

    4

    2005 May 2-5

    9

    18

    70

    3

    2004 May 2-4

    9

    19

    70

    2

    2003 May 5-7

    13

    22

    62

    3

    2002 May 6-9

    12

    20

    65

    3


    Gallup https://news.gallup.com/poll/27754/americans-remain-negative-state-nations-moral-values.aspx
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