Gallup: Morality Views in the U.S

The Data: Birth control (83%), divorce (74%) and sex between unmarried adults (65%) rank among the behaviors Americans are most likely to view as morally acceptable. Extramarital affairs and cloning humans continue to rank at the bottom, with fewer than one in 10 saying either is acceptable.

The Trend: Over the past two decades, Americans have grown more accepting of most of the behaviors measured, including those associated with marriage and certain medical and end-of-life issues. However, while acceptance of many behaviors remains above early-2000s levels, the broader shift toward more permissive attitudes has slowed — and, on some measures, has reversed in recent years.

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The Data: Americans’ views of birth control, having a baby outside of marriage, gambling, teenage sex and cloning animals as morally acceptable have all declined significantly this year.

New Lows: Birth control, gambling and cloning animals have all fallen to record lows in 2026, each falling six to seven percentage points in the past year.

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The Data: In 2026, 52% of Americans say the death penalty is morally acceptable, compared with 45% for medical testing on animals and 38% for changing one’s gender.

Wider Trend: Unlike several behaviors registering sharp year-over-year declines, acceptance of the death penalty, medical testing on animals and changing one’s gender has generally trended downward throughout the trend. All three measures have reached record lows this year.

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The Data: Sixty-two percent of Americans consider gay or lesbian relations morally acceptable. Another 38% say the same of changing one’s gender, while 65% say same-sex marriages should be valid.

The Trend: Support for gay or lesbian relations and same-sex marriage rose steadily for two decades before declining in recent years, while acceptance of changing one’s gender has fallen since it was first measured in 2021.

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The Data: Democrats are significantly more likely than Republicans to view 14 of the 20 behaviors Gallup measures as morally acceptable, including abortion and changing one’s gender, where the partisan gaps reach 55 percentage points. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to view the death penalty, wearing clothing made of animal fur, and medical testing on animals as acceptable.

Party Agreement: In contrast to these divides, majorities in both parties view birth control, divorce and gambling as morally acceptable.

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