PRINCETON, N.J., May 23 (UPI) — Most U.S. residents say they’re still gloomy about the direction moral values in the United States are heading, Gallup said Wednesday.
Seventy-two percent of respondents said they think moral values in the country generally are worsening, essentially unchanged from 73 percent last year, results of Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs survey released Wednesday indicated.
Twenty percent said said values were improving and 6 percent said they thought the values remained the same.
Forty-four percent of respondents rated the state of moral values in the United States as “poor,” the Princeton, N.J., polling agency said. Forty-three percent expressed the same view last year.
Nineteen percent said the state of moral values in the United States was “excellent” or “good,” while 36 percent say they are “only fair,” Gallup said.
Gallup said the net result of the trends indicate seven in 10 Americans have a negative view of moral values, which represents the percentage who said they think moral values are only fair or poor and either worsening or staying the same.
Twelve percent said they have a positive view of moral values, saying they are excellent or good and improving or staying the same, Gallup said. Sixteen percent have mixed views.
Results are based on nationwide telephone interviews with 1,535 adults conducted May 2-7. The margin of error is 3 percentage points.
Copyright 2013 United Press International, Inc. (UPI).
