Americans are becoming less likely to view several social behaviors as morally acceptable, according to a new Gallup survey that found notable declines over the past year in attitudes toward birth control, gambling, teenage sex and other issues.
The polling organization’s latest Values and Beliefs survey found that moral acceptance fell significantly for five of the 20 behaviors Gallup tracks annually. The largest declines were recorded for birth control, having a baby outside of marriage, gambling, sex between teenagers and cloning animals.
Despite the decline, birth control remains the behavior most widely viewed as morally acceptable, with 83% of Americans saying it is acceptable. Divorce ranked second at 74%, followed by sex between unmarried adults at 65%, gay or lesbian relations at 62%, medical research using stem cells from human embryos at 59%, having a baby outside of marriage at 58%, gambling at 57%, buying clothing made from animal fur at 57%, and the death penalty at 52%.
At the other end of the spectrum, Americans were most likely to say extramarital affairs, human cloning, polygamy, suicide, animal cloning, pornography and changing one’s gender are morally wrong. Only 27% said cloning animals is morally acceptable, while 35% said the same about sex between teenagers.
Opinion remained divided on several major issues. Gallup found that 49% of Americans consider abortion morally acceptable, down from 54% in 2024, while 41% view it as morally wrong. Views on doctor-assisted suicide and medical testing on animals were nearly evenly split.
The survey also found substantial partisan differences. Democrats were far more likely than Republicans to say abortion, changing one’s gender and gay or lesbian relations are morally acceptable. Republicans, meanwhile, were significantly more likely to support the death penalty and more likely to find wearing animal fur and medical testing on animals acceptable.
Among independent voters, acceptance declined for several behaviors over the past year. Gallup found double-digit drops in the moral acceptance of divorce, having a baby outside of marriage, gambling, birth control and pornography.
According to Gallup, the broader trend of Americans becoming more accepting of many social behaviors over the past two decades appears to have leveled off or reversed in recent years. While acceptance levels remain higher than they were in the early 2000s for many issues, the latest findings suggest the nation’s attitudes may be shifting in a more conservative direction on some questions of morality and social values.
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