STORY HIGHLIGHTS
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- 54% say the state of moral values in U.S. is poor; 33% only fair
- 83% think U.S. moral values are getting worse
- 74% of Republicans say moral values are poor; 97% think they are worsening
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans’ already poor ratings of the state of moral values in the U.S. have fallen further to the lowest point in Gallup’s 22-year trend. The 54% of U.S. adults who rate moral values in the country as “poor” marks a four-percentage-point increase since last year and the first time the reading has reached the majority level.
Another 33% of Americans think U.S. moral values are “only fair,” 10% “good” and 1% “excellent.”
Throughout the trend, Americans have been more negative than positive in their views of the nation’s moral values, but the latest readings, from a May 1-24 poll, are substantially worse than the trend averages. Since 2002, an average of 43% of U.S. adults have said the state of moral values is poor, while 38% have rated it as only fair and 18% as excellent or good.
The increased negative rating of […]