Recent results from Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs poll show increasingly restrictive moral beliefs among U.S. adults on several issues. The survey asked respondents to label certain actions as either “morally acceptable” or “morally wrong,” regardless of whether they felt those actions should be legal.
Although the vast majority of respondents (83%) believe the use of birth control is morally acceptable, that figure is down from a high of 92% in 2022. Having a baby outside of marriage saw a significant drop among those who believe it is morally acceptable, with 58% saying so in this year’s poll, down from 70% in 2022. A similar drop occurred among those who believe gambling is morally acceptable: 57% this year, down from 70% in 2022.
The survey measured partisan attitudes toward the moral acceptability of numerous issues and found wide disparities between Republicans and Democrats on several of them. The largest gaps are on the issues of abortion, gender transition, and gay or lesbian relations.
On abortion, 73% of Democrats believe it is morally acceptable, while only 18% of Republicans hold the same belief. Slightly less than two-thirds of Democrats (60%) believe it is morally acceptable to “change one’s gender,” with only 5% of Republicans agreeing.
Eight in 10 Democrats (81%) believe “gay or lesbian relations” are morally acceptable. A little more than one-third of Republicans (35%) agree.
More information on the results of the Gallup survey can be found here.
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