Contraceptives, pornography, abortion, etc.: here's the moral compass of Americans

The prestigious Pew Research Center has released the results of its latest survey on morality in the United States, and the data paint a picture of a society that has relaxed its judgments on historical issues, but remains adamant about breaking the marriage commitment.

If there is one thing Americans agree on, it is that extramarital affairs are unacceptable. A resounding 90% of adults believe it is «morally wrong» for a married person to cheat. It is by far the most socially disapproved of behavior.

The study highlights that the country remains split down the middle on two «culture war» fronts. On the one hand, pornography consumption is not acceptable for 52%, while abortion is rejected by 47% of respondents.

The Pew survey asks in each question not only whether it is considered moral or immoral, but also gives as an option to answer whether the issue is not even a moral issue (which shows the degree of acceptance it has for many people, who do not even consider that the issue should be discussed).

In this sense, hitting one's children or using marijuana are considered quite benign.

Morality in the United States

Behavior	Morally Incorrect	Morally Acceptable	It is not a moral issue	Total: «Not bad».»
Marital infidelity	90%	7%	2%	9%
View pornography	52%	15%	32%	47%
Abortion	47%	21%	31%	52%
Homosexuality	39%	23%	37%	60%
Euthanasia (medical aid)	35%	34%	29%	63%
Death penalty	34%	38%	26%	64%
Gambling	29%	20%	50%	70%
Hitting children	23%	36%	39%	75%
Marijuana use	23%	24%	52%	76%
Divorce	23%	31%	45%	76%
To be very rich	18%	18%	63%	81%
Drinking alcohol	16%	29%	55%	84%
In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)	9%	42%	47%	89%
Contraceptive use	8%	40%	51%	91%
Eating meat	4%	41%	54%	96%

Among the controversial moral questions, the In Vitro Fertilization is the one with the highest social support, 42 %, surpassing even meat eating in terms of explicit moral acceptance.

On issues like alcohol, marijuana, or being a billionaire, there are far more people who say «it's not a moral issue» than there are people who say «it's acceptable.».

Death penalty vs. abortion: Interestingly, more people consider the death penalty «morally acceptable» (38%) than abortion (21%), even though the latter has somewhat higher total support (adding indifference).