Americans are increasingly progressive in areas of morality, pessimistic about the future
Americans are growing increasingly progressive in several areas of morality while also growing increasingly concerned about the current state of moral values and pessimistic about the future, according to an article by Lifeway Research.
A Gallup survey on moral issues shows that Americans are increasingly progressive in morality, with a higher percentage of adults viewing abortion, suicide, and polygamy as morally acceptable. Additionally, married men and women having an affair, divorce, stem cell research using human embryos, having a child outside of marriage, and sex between teenagers are nearing their highest levels of public acceptability.
Currently, 54% of Americans believe abortion is morally acceptable, while 37% believe it is morally wrong. Moral support for abortion has grown since 2001, with trends favoring it. More than 1 in 5 U.S. adults believe suicide is morally acceptable, the lowest rate since 2001. Doctor-assisted suicide is seen as a moral choice by 53%.
Almost a quarter of Americans now find polygamy morally acceptable, with 74% disagreeing. The morally acceptable percentage has risen steadily since 2010, when only 7% felt polygamy was OK. Adultery has reached 10% of Americans who consider it morally acceptable, with support increasing in the past four years.
Large numbers of adults also find birth control, drinking alcohol, in vitro fertilization (IVF), divorce, smoking marijuana, sex between unmarried individuals, having a baby outside of marriage, gambling, gay or lesbian relations, and stem cell research using human embryos morally acceptable.
Fewer Americans view pornography, cloning animals, and cloning humans as morally acceptable. Americans are more split on buying and wearing clothing made of animal fur, the death penalty, destroying frozen embryos created by IVF, medical testing on animals, changing one's gender, and sex between teenagers.