In May of this year Gallup polled Americans to determine what behaviors they found morally acceptable and unacceptable. Sixteen behaviors were evaluated, and here are the results:
I am surprised that more people judge the cloning of animals (63% opposed) to be worse than the killing of human beings in abortion (50%) or in stem cell research (32%).
I see a bit of cognitive dissonance in the fact that only 15% of people approve of suicide, but 46% approve of suicide if a doctor assists in the process. Same individual. Same outcome. The only difference is the presence of a medical professional. How does that change the morality of the act?
It should say something about culture when an equal amount of people find wearing fur (35%) morally equal to having sex (38%) and getting pregnant outside of marriage (40%).
I find it odd that people think the worst thing one can do is have an affair (92%), and the most acceptable thing one can do is divorce their spouse (only 23% think divorce is wrong). So if your spouse sleeps with someone else while you are still married, that’s bad. But if they divorce you before sleeping with them, that’s good. Moral confusion is everywhere.
There are only a few issues the nation is polarized over: assisted suicide, homosexuality, and abortion. The public used to be decidedly opposed to all three. Right now we’re about evenly divided. If the trend continues unabated, soon all but abortion (the pro-life viewpoint is in the ascendancy) will be accepted just like divorce: as something unfortunate, but acceptable. Just look at this chart from Gallop tracking the public’s acceptance of homosexuality since 2001:
We have our jobs cut out for us.
August 26, 2010 at 3:26 pm
Jason,
I’m shocked by the ignorant bigotry against polygamy. It may not be the choice we’d make but we’re talking about love between consenting adults. I thought we were more open minded than that.
Sad.
Arthur
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August 26, 2010 at 3:31 pm
I would hope more Americans will eventually come to see homosexuality as a bit more than just ‘unfortunate but acceptable’.
Although in some cases, that may be too much to ask…
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September 1, 2010 at 9:04 am
It is surprising at the suicide/assisted suicide variations. Although I suppose most view assisted suicide concerning a “devalued person”.
It also seems odd with the polygamy point, however, there isn’t a question regarding someone with multiple sexual partners which I imagine would have a similar score.
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September 3, 2010 at 12:43 am
Yes, we still seem to value monogamy, even if it is practiced sequentially with 25 different people! It reminds of what a preacher once said about polygamy: people think polygamy is wrong, but have no problem with sequential polygamy (marrying, divorcing, marrying again, divorcing, marrying again, etc.).
Jason
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September 6, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Polygamy usually carries the stigma of 13 year old girls being forced into marriage with 50 year old men. Thats probably why its so unpopular.
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