WASHINGTON, D.C. — Engaging in extramarital affairs and cloning humans continue to be viewed as the most “morally wrong” of 20 behaviors included in Gallup’s annual tracking. Using birth control and getting divorced remain the most “morally acceptable.”
Along with extramarital affairs (89%) and cloning humans (87%), majorities of Americans, ranging from 51% to 71%, think suicide, polygamy, pornography, cloning animals, changing one’s gender and sex between teenagers are morally wrong.
In contrast, beyond birth control use (90%) and divorce (75%), majorities of 53% to 68% of U.S. adults view eight other behaviors as morally acceptable. These include premarital sex, having a baby outside of marriage, gay or lesbian relations, gambling, human embryonic stem cell research, buying and wearing clothing made of fur, the death penalty and doctor-assisted suicide.
Views are less clear-cut on abortion and medical testing on animals. Although a 49% plurality of Americans say abortion is morally acceptable, this is down from the 54% record high in 2024, and views of medical testing on animals are evenly divided.
Gallup has measured opinions on 16 of these 20 issues since the early 2000s. The latest findings are from the May 1-18, 2025, Values and Beliefs poll. Americans’ perceptions of the items on the list have remained largely stable since last year, with modest changes only seen in attitudes about abortion and changing one’s gender.
Widest Party Gaps in Perceived Morality of Changing Gender, Abortion
Americans’ perspectives on the morality of most of the behaviors measured are strongly tied to their party identification, with Democrats more likely than Republicans to consider some acceptable, while Republicans are more tolerant of others.
- The most polarizing issues are changing one’s gender, with a 62-percentage-point gap between Democrats and Republicans, abortion (58 points), and gay or lesbian relations (48 points). Each of these is considered morally acceptable by broad majorities of Democrats but far fewer Republicans.
- There is bipartisan, majority-level moral acceptance of divorce, having a baby outside of marriage, gambling and birth control.
- Less than half of Republicans and Democrats alike believe seven actions are morally acceptable: pornography, suicide, polygamy, cloning animals, extramarital affairs, medical testing on animals and cloning humans.
- In addition to Democrats’ greater support for changing one’s gender, abortion, and gay or lesbian relations, majorities of Democrats but less than half of Republicans think the following behaviors are morally acceptable: sex between an unmarried man and woman, embryonic stem cell medical research, euthanasia and teenage sex.
- Two issues are considered morally acceptable to majorities of Republicans but fewer Democrats: buying or wearing clothing made of animal fur and the death penalty.
Age Gaps in Moral Perceptions More Subdued Than Party Gaps
There are also several notable age-based differences in Americans’ views of behavioral moral acceptability, but the age gaps are not as pronounced as those by party. Solid majorities of young adults (aged 18 to 34) but less than half of older adults (aged 55 and older) believe two behaviors are morally acceptable: changing one’s gender and abortion. Conversely, a majority of older adults think medical testing on animals is morally acceptable, but fewer young adults agree.
These age patterns persist within each party.
Bottom Line
Americans’ views on the morality of 20 behaviors have remained largely stable since last year, with extramarital affairs and cloning humans the least morally accepted and the use of birth control and divorce the most accepted.
Perceptions of only two behaviors are significantly different — views of the moral acceptability of abortion and changing one’s gender have each edged down this year. In both cases, Republicans are now significantly less likely to say these behaviors are acceptable. Partisans’ views are the most polarized on these two issues and gay or lesbian relations. Majorities of Democrats but less than half of Republicans also believe four other behaviors are acceptable: sex between an unmarried man and woman, sex between teenagers, medical research using embryonic stem cells and euthanasia. The opposite is true for two other issues; majorities of Republicans but less than half of Democrats say the death penalty and buying or wearing clothing made of animal fur are morally acceptable.
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