'Poor' Rating of US Moral Values Hits Record High

It's not just Catholic leaders questioning America's "moral foundation." Americans at large are giving the nation's moral compass its harshest review since Gallup started asking about it in 2002.

• In a poll conducted May 1-15, a record 56% describe US moral values as "poor," up 12 points from last year. Just 3% say "excellent," 9% "good," and 30% "only fair."
• The gloom crosses party lines: for the first time, majorities of Republicans (54%), independents (56%), and Democrats (59%) all rate moral values as poor. Each group has grown more negative over the last year, with Republicans' "poor" rating jumping 17 points, independents' 12, and Democrats' 11.
• Four in five adults (80%) think moral values are "getting worse," near the all-time high of 83% in 2023; only 15% say they're improving.
• Significantly, 67% of Republicans say moral values are getting worse, a 28-point jump from last year. The same goes for 87% of Democrats and 81% of independents, for an 11-point increase.
• Around 69% of Americans say government policies have a significant effect on moral values; 45% say the government should be involved in promoting moral values, while 50% (and two-thirds of Democrats) say it should not.

In another recent poll of people in 25 countries, the US emerged as the only nation where more adults described their fellow citizens as morally "bad" (53%) rather than good (47%), per the Pew Research Center.