In many countries, people see their fellow citizens as morally good, but not in the U.S., where a majority of adults rate the morals and ethics of their fellow residents negatively, according to a Pew Research Center survey released Thursday.
Fifty-three percent of U.S. adults said the morality and ethics of Americans are bad, compared with 47% who described them as good. Democrats are more likely (60%) than Republicans (46%) to view fellow Americans' morals as bad.
In countries like Canada, Sweden, and India, over 80% to 90% of citizens view their fellow citizens positively.
Pew's polling across 25 countries in 2025 also found that people in the United States are more likely than those in other nations surveyed to question the character and ethical behavior of their fellow citizens.
It's the first time Pew has asked the question in its surveys, so researchers don't know "whether a majority of Americans have long held a skeptical view of the ethics of fellow Americans, or if it's something new — and if so, what's driving it. But partisan politics appear to play a role," according to the release.
Pew also asked people in 25 countries whether nine different behaviors were considered morally unacceptable, morally acceptable or not a moral issue, including homosexuality, abortion, extramarital affairs, gambling, divorce, drinking alcohol, using marijuana, using contraception, and pornography.
U.S. adults were among the most accepting of two behaviors: using marijuana and gambling.
Using contraception and getting a divorce are the most widely accepted of the nine behaviors in all 25 countries.
Extramarital affairs drew the strongest overall disapproval, with 77% of adults across all 25 countries saying that married people having an affair is morally unacceptable.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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