GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- A recent Gallup Poll measured Americans' reaction to the moral acceptability of 16 of the leading social issues facing the nation. The results tell much about the cultural climate of the country, with most Americans expressing traditional values about polygamy and extramarital affairs as well as toward suicide and human or animal cloning. Americans generally see all of these as morally wrong. On the other side, divorce, the death penalty, gambling, and sex between unmarried partners all pass the test of moral acceptability for a majority of Americans.
Four issues in the May 2-4 poll -- having a baby outside of marriage, abortion, homosexual behavior, and doctor-assisted suicide -- emerge as divisive, nearly splitting the American public in half. The gap between the percentage of Americans saying each of these issues is morally acceptable or morally wrong is no more than 12 percentage points, with having a child out of wedlock producing the smallest gap: 49% think it is morally acceptable; 45% say it is morally wrong.
Americans are also fairly closely split on the morality of medical research using stem cells obtained from human embryos. Just over half (54%) think such stem cell research is acceptable, while 37% think it is wrong -- a 17 percentage-point gap in views.
By contrast, much larger gaps are seen in support or criticism of the other 11 issues tested. In fact there is nearly unanimous opposition to polygamy, extramarital affairs, and human cloning. Roughly 9 in 10 Americans say each of these is morally wrong. Most Americans also consider suicide and animal cloning to be wrong.
| Most Widely Seen as "Morally Wrong" | |||
| Morally Acceptable | Morally Wrong | Gap | |
| % | % | ||
| Married men and women having an affair | 7 | 91 | -84 |
| Polygamy, when one husband has more than one wife at the same time | 7 | 91 | -84 |
| Cloning humans | 9 | 88 | -79 |
| Suicide | 15 | 79 | -64 |
| Cloning animals | 32 | 64 | -32 |
Widespread public agreement in support of the moral acceptability of certain issues is seen with respect to divorce, the death penalty, gambling, use of animal fur for human clothing, medical testing on animals, and premarital sex. At least 6 in 10 Americans consider each of these acceptable.
| Most Widely Seen as "Morally Acceptable" | |||
| Morally Acceptable | Morally Wrong | Gap | |
| % | % | ||
| Divorce | 66 | 26 | 40 |
| The death penalty | 65 | 28 | 37 |
| Gambling | 66 | 30 | 36 |
| Buying and wearing clothing made of animal fur | 63 | 31 | 32 |
| Medical testing on animals | 62 | 32 | 30 |
| Sex between an unmarried man and woman | 60 | 36 | 24 |
The Ideological Divide
One interesting way to review these data is according to the political ideology of respondents. Self-described conservatives and liberals are most likely to disagree on the issues of homosexual behavior and abortion. A wide gulf also exists between the two groups with respect to premarital sex, having a baby out of marriage, stem cell research using human embryos, doctor-assisted suicide, divorce, and gambling. In each case, liberals are much more likely than conservatives to view the item as morally acceptable.
There is only one issue that conservatives are substantially more likely than liberals to consider morally acceptable: the death penalty. On the two other issues that conservatives are more likely to consider morally acceptable, the gap in views between the two groups is no more than 14 percentage points.
| Percentage Saying "Morally Acceptable" by Political Ideology | |||
| Conservatives | Liberals | Gap | |
| % | % | ||
|
Homosexual behavior |
23 | 74 | -51 |
|
Abortion |
23 | 68 | -45 |
|
Sex between an unmarried man and woman |
45 | 79 | -34 |
|
Having a baby outside of marriage |
36 | 69 | -33 |
|
Medical research using stem cells obtained from human embryos |
45 | 74 | -29 |
|
Doctor-assisted suicide |
41 | 68 | -27 |
|
Suicide |
9 | 35 | -26 |
|
Divorce |
57 | 82 | -25 |
|
Gambling |
58 | 73 | -15 |
|
Married men and women having an affair |
3 | 18 | -15 |
|
Polygamy, when one husband has more than one wife at the same time |
3 | 16 | -13 |
|
Cloning animals |
27 | 37 | -10 |
|
Cloning humans |
8 | 12 | -4 |
|
Buying and wearing clothing made of animal fur |
68 | 57 | 11 |
|
Medical testing on animals |
68 | 54 | 14 |
|
The death penalty |
74 | 47 | 27 |
Men and women are fairly similar in their outlook toward most issues, but they differ significantly with respect to two: medical testing on animals and cloning animals. In both cases men are about 20 percentage points more likely than women to say the activity is morally acceptable. Men are also moderately more supportive than women of gambling, the death penalty, use of animal fur, and doctor-assisted suicide.
Age is a significant determinant of moral attitudes. Young adults (18 to 29 years old) are generally much more likely than those 65 and older to consider the various activities tested to be morally acceptable. This is especially true for gambling, homosexual behavior, having a child outside of marriage, abortion, and cloning animals. There is only one issue on which older Americans are more tolerant than younger Americans: medical testing on animals. Fifty-eight percent of those 65 and older consider this morally acceptable, compared with 47% of young adults.
Survey Methods
These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,000 adults, aged 18 and older, conducted May 2-4, 2004. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects 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.
SUMMARY TABLE: MORAL ACCEPTABILITY OF ISSUES
| 2004 May 2-4 (sorted by "morally acceptable") |
Morally acceptable | Morally wrong |
| % | % | |
| Divorce | 66 | 26 |
| Gambling | 66 | 30 |
| The death penalty | 65 | 28 |
| Buying and wearing clothing made of animal fur | 63 | 31 |
| Medical testing on animals | 62 | 32 |
| Sex between an unmarried man and woman | 60 | 36 |
| Medical research using stem cells obtained from human embryos | 54 | 37 |
| Doctor-assisted suicide | 53 | 41 |
| Having a baby outside of marriage | 49 | 45 |
| Homosexual behavior | 42 | 54 |
| Abortion | 40 | 50 |
| Cloning animals | 32 | 64 |
| Suicide | 15 | 79 |
| Cloning humans | 9 | 88 |
| Married men and women having an affair | 7 | 91 |
| Polygamy, when one husband has more than one wife at the same time | 7 | 91 |
