GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- Amid news about really important issues, such as the economy and wars (on terrorism, in Iraq), comes a morality tale involving former education secretary and drug czar William J. Bennett, also the author of numerous books on virtue and a vigorous campaigner for "family values." It appears that Bennett's best-selling books and five-figure sermons exhorting adults, children, and political leaders to lead virtuous lives have helped finance a multi-million dollar gambling habit, which he recently renounced as "not the example I want to set."
The news media have had a field day with this story, pointing of course to the apparent contradiction between Bennett's behavior and words. But Gallup's annual survey on America's values and beliefs suggests that most Americans may not view Bennett's behavior as inconsistent with his emphasis on moral living. The survey, conducted May 5-7, shortly after Bennett's gambling was first reported in the news, finds 63% of Americans saying gambling is morally acceptable, while just 34% say it is morally wrong.
While Bennett may take comfort in the public's approval of this activity, he is less likely to be pleased that majorities of Americans also find morally acceptable several behaviors of which he disapproves, such as divorce (66%), "sex between an unmarried man and woman" (58%), and "having a baby outside of marriage" (51%).
|
2003 May 5-7 |
Morally acceptable |
Morally |
|
% |
% |
|
|
Divorce |
66 |
27 |
|
The death penalty |
64 |
31 |
|
Medical testing on animals |
63 |
33 |
|
Gambling |
63 |
34 |
|
Buying and wearing clothing made of animal fur |
60 |
36 |
|
Sex between an unmarried man and woman |
58 |
41 |
|
Medical research using stem cells obtained from human embryos |
54 |
38 |
|
Having a baby outside of marriage |
51 |
46 |
|
Doctor assisted suicide |
45 |
49 |
|
Homosexual behavior |
44 |
52 |
|
Abortion |
37 |
53 |
|
Cloning animals |
29 |
68 |
|
Suicide |
14 |
81 |
|
Cloning humans |
8 |
90 |
|
Polygamy, when one husband has more than one wife at the same time |
7 |
92 |
|
Married men and women having an affair |
6 |
93 |
As shown in the table, most Americans do not find medical testing of animals or wearing animal fur to be immoral, though cloning animals is another story. Just 29% say animal cloning is morally acceptable.
Cloning humans is even worse. Only 8% say it is morally acceptable, about on par with polygamy and extra-marital affairs. But Americans give a majority thumbs up (54% to 38%) to medical research using stem cells obtained from human embryos.
Changes in Moral Compass
The poll shows little change from last year in the public's evaluation of most of the items. The largest changes:
- Having a baby outside of marriage -- considered morally wrong by a slight edge last year (45% acceptable to 50% wrong), it now receives a slight majority nod (51% to 46%, respectively).
- Doctor-assisted suicide -- a six-point margin in favor of moral acceptability last year (50% to 44%) is now a four-point margin on being morally wrong (45% to 49%).
- Homosexual behavior -- last year people found it morally wrong by 17 points (38% acceptable to 55% wrong), but that margin has narrowed to eight points this year (44% acceptable, 52% wrong).
Morally vs. Legally Acceptable
On several items, the poll finds differences between what people say should be legal and what they say is morally acceptable. For example, 74% of Americans say they favor the death penalty for a person convicted of murder, while just 64% say it is morally acceptable. A comparison of the attitudes shows that 8% of people who favor the death penalty also say it is morally wrong.
The apparent contradiction virtually disappears, however, when people are asked a follow-up question -- whether the punishment for murder should be life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, or still the death penalty. Of those who continue to insist on the death penalty, just 2% say it is morally wrong.
A similar pattern is found on homosexual behavior. The poll finds 60% of Americans saying homosexual relations between adults should be legal, 54% who say homosexuality should be considered "an acceptable alternative lifestyle," but just 44% who say homosexual behavior is "morally" acceptable.
Some comparisons of attitudes on this issue show the following:
- Of those who feel homosexual relations between consenting adults should be "legal," 29% still say homosexual behavior is "morally wrong."
- Of those who say that homosexuality should be considered an "acceptable alternative lifestyle," 22% still say that homosexual behavior is "morally wrong."
- Finally, of those who support "a law that would allow homosexual couples to legally form civil unions, giving them some of the legal rights of married couples," 21% then say homosexual behavior is "morally wrong."
On the issue of abortion, people also make a distinction between moral and legal imperatives. Overall, 80% of Americans believe abortion should be legal in at least "some circumstances," but just 37% say abortion is morally acceptable. Some comparisons of opinions:
- About a quarter of all Americans (23%) say abortion should be legal "under any circumstances," but of this group, 15% say abortion is morally wrong.
- Another 15% of Americans believe abortion should be legal under "most" circumstances, and again 15% of this group says abortion is morally wrong.
- As one might expect, of the 19% who say abortion should be illegal in all circumstances, virtually all (94%) say it is morally wrong.
Survey Methods
Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,005 national adults, aged 18+, conducted May 5-7, 2003. 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.
Next, I'm going to read you a list of issues. Regardless of whether or not you think it should be legal, for each one, please tell me whether you personally believe that in general it is morally acceptable or morally wrong. How about … [RANDOM ORDER]?
A. Abortion
|
|
|
DEPENDS ON SITUATION (vol.) |
NOT A |
|
|
|
2003 May 5-7 |
37% |
53 |
9 |
* |
1 |
|
2002 May 6-9 |
38% |
53 |
8 |
* |
1 |
|
2001 May 10-14 |
42% |
45 |
11 |
1 |
1 |
B. The death penalty
|
|
|
DEPENDS ON SITUATION (vol.) |
NOT A |
|
|
|
2003 May 5-7 |
64% |
31 |
4 |
-- |
1 |
|
2002 May 6-9 |
65% |
28 |
5 |
* |
2 |
|
2001 May 10-14 |
63% |
27 |
7 |
1 |
2 |
C. Doctor assisted suicide
|
|
|
DEPENDS ON SITUATION (vol.) |
NOT A |
|
|
|
2003 May 5-7 |
45% |
49 |
5 |
-- |
1 |
|
2002 May 6-9 |
50% |
44 |
4 |
* |
2 |
|
2001 May 10-14 |
49% |
40 |
8 |
* |
3 |
- Medical testing on animals
|
|
|
DEPENDS ON SITUATION (vol.) |
NOT A |
|
|
|
2003 May 5-7 |
63% |
33 |
3 |
* |
1 |
|
2002 May 6-9 |
63% |
30 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
|
2001 May 10-14 |
65% |
26 |
5 |
1 |
3 |
E. Buying and wearing clothing made of animal fur
|
|
|
DEPENDS ON SITUATION (vol.) |
NOT A |
|
|
|
2003 May 5-7 |
60% |
36 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
2002 May 6-9 |
59% |
35 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
|
2001 May 10-14 |
60% |
32 |
2 |
3 |
3 |
F. Homosexual behavior
|
|
|
DEPENDS ON SITUATION (vol.) |
NOT A |
|
|
|
2003 May 5-7 |
44% |
52 |
2 |
* |
2 |
|
2002 May 6-9 |
38% |
55 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
|
2001 May 10-14 |
40% |
53 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
G. Sex between an unmarried man and woman
|
|
|
DEPENDS ON SITUATION (vol.) |
NOT A |
|
|
|
2003 May 5-7 |
58% |
41 |
1 |
* |
* |
|
2002 May 6-9 |
53% |
42 |
2 |
* |
3 |
|
2001 May 10-14 |
53% |
42 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
H. Married men and women having an affair
|
|
|
DEPENDS ON SITUATION (vol.) |
NOT A |
|
|
|
2003 May 5-7 |
6% |
93 |
* |
* |
1 |
|
2002 May 6-9 |
9% |
87 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
|
2001 May 10-14 |
7% |
89 |
3 |
* |
1 |
I. Divorce
|
|
|
DEPENDS ON SITUATION (vol.) |
NOT A |
|
|
|
2003 May 5-7 |
66% |
27 |
6 |
* |
1 |
|
2002 May 6-9 |
63% |
28 |
8 |
* |
1 |
|
2001 May 10-14 |
59% |
28 |
12 |
* |
1 |
J. Cloning animals
|
|
|
DEPENDS ON SITUATION (vol.) |
NOT A |
|
|
|
2003 May 5-7 |
29% |
68 |
1 |
* |
2 |
|
2002 May 6-9 |
29% |
66 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
|
2001 May 10-14 |
31% |
63 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
K. Cloning humans
|
|
|
DEPENDS ON SITUATION (vol.) |
NOT A |
|
|
|
2003 May 5-7 |
8% |
90 |
1 |
* |
1 |
|
2002 May 6-9 |
7% |
90 |
2 |
* |
1 |
|
2001 May 10-14 |
7% |
88 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
L. Suicide
|
|
|
DEPENDS ON SITUATION (vol.) |
NOT A |
|
|
|
2003 May 5-7 |
14% |
81 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
|
2002 May 6-9 |
12% |
83 |
3 |
* |
2 |
|
2001 May 10-14 |
13% |
78 |
6 |
1 |
2 |
M. Medical research using stem cells obtained from human embryos
|
|
|
DEPENDS ON SITUATION (vol.) |
NOT A |
|
|
|
2003 May 5-7 |
54% |
38 |
3 |
-- |
5 |
|
2002 May 6-9 |
52% |
39 |
2 |
1 |
6 |
N. Having a baby outside of marriage
|
|
|
DEPENDS ON SITUATION (vol.) |
NOT A |
|
|
|
2003 May 5-7 |
51% |
46 |
2 |
* |
1 |
|
2002 May 6-9 |
45% |
50 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
O. Gambling
|
|
|
DEPENDS ON SITUATION (vol.) |
NOT A |
|
|
|
2003 May 5-7 |
63% |
34 |
2 |
* |
1 |
P. Polygamy, when one husband has more than one wife at the same time
|
|
|
DEPENDS ON SITUATION (vol.) |
NOT A |
|
|
|
2003 May 5-7 |
7% |
92 |
1 |
-- |
* |
SUMMARY TABLE: MORAL ACCEPTABILITY OF ISSUES
|
2003 May 5-7 |
Morally acceptable |
Morally |
|
% |
% |
|
|
Divorce |
66 |
27 |
|
The death penalty |
64 |
31 |
|
Medical testing on animals |
63 |
33 |
|
Gambling |
63 |
34 |
|
Buying and wearing clothing made of animal fur |
60 |
36 |
|
Sex between an unmarried man and woman |
58 |
41 |
|
Medical research using stem cells obtained from human embryos |
54 |
38 |
|
Having a baby outside of marriage |
51 |
46 |
|
Doctor assisted suicide |
45 |
49 |
|
Homosexual behavior |
44 |
52 |
|
Abortion |
37 |
53 |
|
Cloning animals |
29 |
68 |
|
Suicide |
14 |
81 |
|
Cloning humans |
8 |
90 |
|
Polygamy, when one husband has more than one wife at the same time |
7 |
92 |
|
Married men and women having an affair |
6 |
93 |
(vol.) – volunteered response
* -- less than 0.5%