Morality

A Barometer of Modern Morals Sex, Drugs and the 1040 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MARCH 28, 2006 • Is cheating on your taxes worse than cheating on your spouse? • Excessive drinking worse than smoking pot? • And other questions of right and wrong… Paul Taylor, Executive Vice President Cary Funk, Senior Project Director Peyton Craighill, Project Director MEDIA INQUIRIES CONTACT: Pew Research Center 202 419 4328 http://pewresearch.org 1 Sex, Drugs and the 1040 Cheating on your taxes is almost as bad as cheating on your spouse. Drinking excessively is worse than smoking marijuana. Engaging in homosexual behavior and having an abortion are equally fraught. Telling a lie to spare someone’s feelings is worse than gambling. Sex between unmarried adults is more objectionable than overeating (but not by much). Those edicts aren’t drawn from some new millennium user’s guide to morality. Rather, they represent the collective judgment of the American public when asked in a Pew Research Center survey to assess the moral dimensions of different kinds of behaviors. Survey respondents were read a list of ten behaviors and asked whether, in their personal opinion, each one is “morally acceptable, morally wrong, or not a moral issue.” A Barometer of Modern Morals Percent saying this behavior is morally wrong M arried peo ple having an affair No t repo rting all inco me o n yo ur taxes Drinking alco ho l excessively Having an abo rtio n Smo king marijuana ` Ho mo sexual behavio r Telling a lie to spare so meo ne’ s feelings Sex between unmarried adults Gambling Overeating 35 35 32 43 50 52 50 61 79 88 Percent who believe this behavior is… Morally Morally Not a moral (Vol.) issue % 7 14 31 23 35 33 26 37 42 58 Don’t wrong acceptable % 88 79 61 52 50 50 43 35 35 32 % 3 5 5 12 10 12 23 22 17 6 Depends know % 1 1 2 11 4 1 6 2 3 3 % 1=100 1=100 1=100 2=100 1=100 4=100 2=100 4=100 3=100 1=100 Married people having an affair Not reporting all income on taxes Drinking alcohol excessively Having an abortion Smoking marijuana Homosexual behavior Telling a lie to spare someone’s feelings Sex between unmarried adults Gambling Overeating The survey, by design, covered a wide range of activities, in part to avoid signaling to respondents that inclusion on the list was meant to convey a presumption of moral unacceptability. The activity that drew the most widespread moral disapproval, 88%, was “married people having an affair,” while the one that drew the least was “overeating” – although a sizable minority (32%) said that activity was morally wrong. 2 The survey did not measure intensity of feelings. It’s possible, therefore, that the difference between the 79% who say it’s morally wrong to cheat on one’s taxes and the 88% who say the same about cheating on one’s spouse is greater (or smaller) than those numbers indicate. Judgments about right-and-wrong are by nature profound, and – in real life – often nuanced and situational. By contrast, this survey questionnaire is a blunt instrument. Even so – and in admittedly coarse strokes – the alignment of responses to the ten questions paints an interesting portrait of contemporary American morality. About that l040 As April 15 approaches and tens of millions of Americans prepare their tax returns, they may be interested to know that eight-in-ten of their fellow citizens (79%) consider not reporting all income on one’s taxes to be morally wrong, while just 5% consider it morally acceptable and 14% say it’s not a moral issue. Moral disapproval is one thing, behavior another. Earlier this year the IRS reported that in 2001 (the last year for which it had conducted such research) there was a gross “tax gap” of $345 billion, resulting from an overall noncompliance rate of about 16 percent. Of that gap, the biggest missing slice, some $197 billion, was from underreporting of income on individual income tax returns; most of that missing sum, in turn, resulted from underreporting of business income on those individual returns, the IRS found. About a Different Kind of Cheating The only behavior on the Pew list that draws more moral condemnation than cheating on one’s taxes is cheating on a spouse. Some 88% say it is morally wrong for married people to have an affair, while 3% say it is morally acceptable and 7% say it is not a moral issue. Here again, condemnation is one thing, behavior another. The General Social Survey (which is funded by the National Science Foundation) has been asking about adulterous behavior in numerous surveys since 1991.In 2004, it finds that 15% percent of those ever married say that they have had sex outside of their marriage, and that more (currently or formerly married) men (20%) than women (12%) report this behavior. (Needless to say, on a topic as sensitive as adultery, it is possible that people are not always honest when asked in a survey questionnaire about their personal behavior). In the Pew survey, there are also some gender differences in moral judgments about adultery. Some 90% of women, compared with 85% of men, say adultery is morally wrong. Men (3%) are no more inclined than women (2%) to say it is morally acceptable, but 10 percent of men say extra-marital sex is “not a moral issue,” compared with just 5% of women who feel that way. 3 Men and Women, Young and Old Differ On Abortion and Homsexuality Two moral issues that have had the greatest political resonance in recent years – homosexuality and abortion – divide the broad public in almost exactly the same way, but are seen differently by some sub-groups in the population. Men are more morally disapproving than women of homosexuality, but both genders have similar views about abortion. Likewise, the old and the young judge the morality of these two behaviors in different ways. On the question of homosexuality, the old are more disapproving than the young. But on the question of abortion, there is no clear difference between the old and the young. Catholics are more disapproving of abortion than they are of homosexuality. Married people are more disapproving of abortion than are those not currently married, but there is no clear difference between the married and unmarried on homosexuality. Despite these sub-group differences, the two behaviors wind up being judged in nearly identical ways by the full population. About half of those surveyed say abortion (52%) and homosexual behavior (50%) are morally wrong, while an identical 12% say that each of these activities is morally acceptable. Another one in three (33%) say homosexuality is “not a moral issue.” Some 23% also say that about abortion, with an additional 11% volunteering an answer to the effect that “it depends on the situation.” (Of all ten behaviors tested, abortion drew the most volunteered responses of that nature.) Differences by Age, Income, Religiosity, Ideology and Party Line Up with Differing Responses These are the some of the traits associated with responses to the battery of ten questions: • • The groups with a majority saying that eight or more of the behaviors are morally wrong include: conservatives, frequent church-goers; white evangelical Christians, and those ages 65 and older. Majorities of three groups – weekly church-goers, white evangelical Christians and those ages 65 and older – say that nine of the 10 behaviors are morally wrong. Among these groups, overeating is the only behavior not judged by a majority to be morally wrong. Groups with a majority saying that no more than two of these behaviors are morally wrong include college graduates, people with family incomes of at least $75,000 a year, and people who seldom or never attend religious services. For all those groups, adultery and income tax cheating are the only two behaviors that a majority judge to be morally wrong. There is a partisan divide in how people judge these behaviors. A majority of Republicans say seven of the ten behaviors are morally wrong; while a majority of Democrats and independents say just three of the behaviors (adultery, underreporting taxable income; drinking excessively) are morally wrong. Independents are the least inclined of the three partisan groups to view the behaviors as morally wrong and most prone to see them as “not a moral issue.” • • 4 • Some demographic factors – including gender and marital status – are not strongly correlated with views on these questions. However, there is regional pattern in the responses, with Southerners more likely than people living in the Northeast or West, and slightly more likely than those living in the Midwest, to describe the 10 behaviors as morally wrong. There are too few respondents in the survey for a substantive analysis by race and ethnicity. People who decline to call a behavior morally wrong don’t necessarily believe it is morally acceptable. In fact, for all ten items on the list, those who say a behavior is “not a moral issue” outnumber those who say it is morally acceptable, generally by a sizable margin. A majority of all adults (58%) believe that overeating is “not a moral issue,” while pluralities say this about gambling (42%) and sex between unmarried adults (37%). • 5 About the Pew Social Trends Reports The Pew social trends reports explore the behaviors and attitudes of Americans in key realms of their lives – family, community, health, finance, work and leisure. Reports analyze changes over time in social behaviors and probe for differences and similarities between key sub-groups in the population. The surveys are conducted by the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan “fact tank” that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world. Survey reports are the result of the collaborative effort of the social trends staff, which consists of: Paul Taylor, Executive Vice President Cary Funk, Senior Project Director Peyton Craighill, Project Director About the Survey Results for this survey are based on telephone interviews conducted with a nationally representative sample of adults, ages 18 years and older, living in continental U.S. telephone households. • • Interviews conducted February 1- 5, 2006 745 interviews for the half sample (1,502 interviews for the full sample) Margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4 percentage points for results based on the total sample at the 95% confidence level. The margin of sampling error is higher for results based on subgroups of respondents. • Survey interviews conducted under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates International. In addition to sampling error, bear in mind that question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias in the findings of opinion polls. 6 PEW SOCIAL TRENDS FINAL TOPLINE February 1 – 5, 20061 ASK FORM 2 ONLY [N=745]: Q.47F2 Next, I’m going to read some behaviors. For each, please tell me whether you personally believe that it is morally acceptable, morally wrong, or is it not a moral issue. First [INSERT ITEM; RANDOMIZE] [IF NECESSARY:] Is [INSERT ITEM] morally acceptable, morally wrong, or is it not a moral issue? (VOL.) Morally acceptable Morally wrong Not a moral issue Depends on situation Don’t know /Refused a. Having an abortion b. Married people having an affair c. Homosexual behavior d. Drinking alcohol excessively e. Gambling f. Not reporting all income on your taxes g. Sex between unmarried adults h. Telling a lie to spare someone’s feelings i. Overeating j. Smoking marijuana 12 3 12 5 17 5 22 23 6 10 52 88 50 61 35 79 35 43 32 50 23 7 33 31 42 14 37 26 58 35 11 1 1 2 3 1 2 6 3 4 2=100 1=100 4=100 1=100 3=100 1=100 4=100 2=100 1=100 1=100 1 Q.47f2a-j were part of a larger survey conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. The full series of questions from this survey is available at http://people-press.org/. 7 Having an Abortion Percent who believe this behavior is… Morally Morally Not a (Vol.) Don’t wrong acceptable moral issue Depends know % 52 % 12 % 23 % 11 % 2=100 N All adults Gender Men Women Age 18-49 50-64 65+ Education College grad Some college 745 54 50 13 11 21 24 10 12 2=100 3=100 359 386 53 48 50 12 14 9 26 20 17 7 15 21 2=100 3=100 3=100 357 230 147 40 47 18 13 8 29 30 16 9 8 14 4=100 2=100 2=100 304 188 249 High school or less 60 Family Income $75,000 or more Less than $30,000 Marital Status Married Not married Church Attendance Weekly or more Monthly or less Seldom or never Religion White evangelical Protestant White mainline Protestant Catholic Ideology Conservative Moderate Liberal Party Identification Republican Democrat Independent Region Northeast Midwest South West 44 53 61 42 68 43 43 66 47 30 35 57 73 71 44 33 56 46 43 57 15 10 11 32 20 18 7 12 13 3=100 3=100 1=100 234 254 180 $30,000 to $75,000 55 10 15 22 24 9 13 3=100 2=100 447 292 6 13 19 12 24 37 8 17 9 3=100 2=100 2=100 290 246 198 6 14 9 6 31 21 14 16 12 1=100 4=100 2=100 173 172 173 8 13 20 13 27 36 10 12 11 3=100 1=100 3=100 301 291 126 7 16 15 15 25 28 9 13 12 1=100 3=100 2=100 242 239 228 16 11 8 16 26 24 18 28 14 11 9 11 0=100 1=100 4=100 3=100 128 177 254 186 Source: Pew Research Center survey, February 1 - 5, 2006 8 Married People Having an Affair Percent who believe this behavior is… Morally Morally Not a (Vol.) Don’t wrong acceptable moral issue Depends know % 88 % 3 % 7 % 1 % 1=100 N All adults Gender Men Women Age 18-49 50-64 65+ Education College grad Some college 745 85 90 3 2 10 5 2 2 *=100 1=100 359 386 89 89 83 2 3 4 7 6 9 1 1 3 1=100 1=100 1=100 357 230 147 87 92 3 2 3 7 5 9 2 1 2 1=100 *=100 1=100 304 188 249 High school or less 85 Family Income $75,000 or more Less than $30,000 Marital Status Married Not married Church Attendance Weekly or more Monthly or less Seldom or never Religion White evangelical protestant White mainline protestant Catholic Ideology Conservative Moderate Liberal Party Identification Republican Democrat Independent Region Northeast Midwest South West 84 90 92 82 94 83 87 89 90 81 88 85 95 90 88 84 90 85 88 87 4 2 3 6 8 8 2 1 1 0=100 1=100 1=100 234 254 180 $30,000 to $75,000 88 1 5 6 8 2 1 1=100 1=100 447 292 1 4 2 5 7 11 3 1 1 1=100 0=100 2=100 290 246 198 2 3 2 2 7 8 1 1 5 *=100 1=100 *=100 173 172 173 2 2 5 7 4 13 1 3 1 1=100 1=100 *=100 301 291 126 2 4 2 4 8 9 * 4 1 *=100 1=100 1=100 242 239 228 7 3 1 2 5 5 6 13 4 1 1 1 0=100 1=100 *=100 2=100 128 177 254 186 Source: Pew Research Center survey, February 1 - 5, 2006 9 Homosexual Behavior Percent who believe this behavior is… Morally Morally Not a (Vol.) Don’t wrong acceptable moral issue Depends know % 50 % 12 % 33 % 1 % 4=100 N All adults Gender Men Women Age 18-49 50-64 65+ Education College Grad Some college 745 58 43 9 15 29 36 1 2 3=100 4=100 359 386 48 51 60 13 11 10 36 33 19 * 3 3 3=100 2=100 8=100 357 230 147 36 42 17 20 6 42 37 24 1 * 2 4=100 1=100 5=100 304 188 249 High school or less 63 Family Income $75,000 or more Less than $30,000 Marital Status Married Not married Church Attendance Weekly or more Monthly or less Seldom or never Religion White evangelical protestant White mainline protestant Catholic Ideology Conservative Moderate Liberal Party Identification Republican Democrat Independent Region Northeast Midwest South West 36 49 64 43 64 44 42 67 45 27 45 43 75 66 46 34 52 48 39 56 19 11 8 39 31 32 1 2 1 2=100 4=100 3=100 234 254 180 $30,000 to $75,000 52 11 14 33 32 1 2 3=100 4=100 447 292 6 15 18 21 36 45 2 1 * 5=100 2=100 3=100 290 246 198 6 13 13 14 37 39 1 1 2 4=100 4=100 3=100 173 172 173 7 13 25 22 37 45 1 1 1 3=100 4=100 2=100 301 291 126 9 16 14 23 35 39 2 1 1 2=100 4=100 4=100 242 239 228 16 10 10 15 42 34 24 37 3 1 0 3 3=100 6=100 2=100 2=100 128 177 254 186 Source: Pew Research Center survey, February 1 - 5, 2006 10 Drinking Alcohol Excessively Percent who believe this behavior is… Morally Morally Not a (Vol.) Don’t wrong acceptable moral issue Depends know % 61 % 5 % 31 % 2 % 1=100 N All adults Gender Men Women Age 18-49 50-64 65+ Education College Grad Some college 745 59 63 7 3 31 31 2 2 1=100 1=100 359 386 55 64 80 5 4 3 37 28 15 2 2 2 1=100 2=100 *=100 357 230 147 43 59 4 8 4 49 31 20 3 2 1 1=100 *=100 1=100 304 188 249 High school or less 74 Family Income $75,000 or more Less than $30,000 Marital Status Married Not married Church Attendance Weekly or more Monthly or less Seldom or never Religion White evangelical protestant White mainline protestant Catholic Ideology Conservative Moderate Liberal Party Identification Republican Democrat Independent Region Northeast Midwest South West 58 58 70 55 67 63 57 71 58 50 58 58 82 76 58 44 62 61 48 72 5 4 5 44 31 20 2 2 2 1=100 1=100 1=100 234 254 180 $30,000 to $75,000 62 4 6 31 30 2 2 1=100 1=100 447 292 2 7 6 19 33 45 2 2 3 1=100 *=100 2=100 290 246 198 2 5 4 15 32 34 1 2 4 0=100 3=100 *=100 173 172 173 3 6 7 24 33 40 1 3 2 1=100 *=100 1=100 301 291 126 6 5 3 26 28 37 1 2 2 *=100 2=100 1=100 242 239 228 5 4 4 5 35 35 23 36 2 2 2 2 0=100 1=100 1=100 2=100 128 177 254 186 Source: Pew Research Center survey, February 1 - 5, 2006 11 Gambling Percent who believe this behavior is… Morally Morally Not a (Vol.) Don’t wrong acceptable moral issue Depends know % 35 % 17 % 42 % 3 % 3=100 N All adults Gender Men Women Age 18-49 50-64 65+ Education College Grad Some college 745 33 38 20 13 42 43 3 3 2=100 3=100 359 386 30 33 52 19 13 15 45 48 27 3 3 3 3=100 3=100 3=100 357 230 147 24 26 17 17 17 53 50 33 3 5 1 3=100 2=100 3=100 304 188 249 High school or less 46 Family Income $75,000 or more Less than $30,000 Marital Status Married Not married Church Attendance Weekly or more Monthly or less Seldom or never Religion White evangelical protestant White mainline protestant Catholic Ideology Conservative Moderate Liberal Party Identification Republican Democrat Independent Region Northeast Midwest South West 23 35 49 26 43 34 27 47 30 19 30 24 57 50 29 21 39 30 23 43 19 16 16 53 43 34 2 3 4 3=100 1=100 3=100 234 254 180 $30,000 to $75,000 37 16 19 39 47 4 2 2=100 2=100 447 292 13 21 17 31 46 56 3 3 2 3=100 1=100 4=100 290 246 198 7 20 24 29 46 48 4 2 3 3=100 2=100 1=100 173 172 173 14 18 17 35 45 58 2 4 4 2=100 3=100 2=100 301 291 126 16 22 11 37 38 55 3 2 4 1=100 4=100 3=100 242 239 228 19 14 17 17 52 46 30 49 4 2 2 4 2=100 3=100 2=100 4=100 128 177 254 186 Source: Pew Research Center survey, February 1 - 5, 2006 12 Not Reporting All Income on Your Taxes Percent who believe this behavior is… Morally Morally Not a (Vol.) Don’t wrong acceptable moral issue Depends know % 79 % 5 % 14 % 1 % 1=100 N All adults Gender Men Women Age 18-49 50-64 65+ Education College Grad Some college 745 79 79 3 6 16 13 1 1 1=100 1=100 359 386 74 83 88 6 3 3 18 12 6 1 2 2 1=100 *=100 1=100 357 230 147 79 75 3 4 6 15 20 11 2 0 1 1=100 1=100 2=100 304 188 249 High school or less 80 Family Income $75,000 or more Less than $30,000 Marital Status Married Not married Church Attendance Weekly or more Monthly or less Seldom or never Religion White evangelical protestant White mainline protestant Catholic Ideology Conservative Moderate Liberal Party Identification Republican Democrat Independent Region Northeast Midwest South West 79 74 84 77 87 81 73 86 77 68 80 78 92 87 74 73 81 76 81 76 3 5 5 15 15 17 1 * 1 *=100 2=100 1=100 234 254 180 $30,000 to $75,000 78 4 6 13 16 1 1 1=100 1=100 447 292 2 8 5 9 16 21 1 1 * 1=100 1=100 1=100 290 246 198 3 3 4 5 13 17 0 2 1 0=100 2=100 0=100 173 172 173 4 5 6 8 16 23 1 1 2 1=100 1=100 1=100 301 291 126 3 6 3 10 11 22 0 1 1 *=100 1=100 1=100 242 239 228 5 6 2 6 14 19 11 14 2 1 1 1 0=100 0=100 2=100 2=100 128 177 254 186 Source: Pew Research Center survey, February 1 - 5, 2006 13 Sex Between Unmarried Adults Percent who believe this behavior is… Morally Morally Not a (Vol.) Don’t wrong acceptable moral issue Depends know % 35 % 22 % 37 % 2 % 4=100 N All adults Gender Men Women Age 18-49 50-64 65+ Education College Grad Some college 745 36 35 23 20 35 39 3 2 3=100 4=100 359 386 30 35 54 26 19 10 40 37 27 2 5 2 2=100 4=100 7=100 357 230 147 26 31 24 22 20 46 41 30 1 1 4 3=100 5=100 3=100 304 188 249 High school or less 43 Family Income $75,000 or more Less than $30,000 Marital Status Married Not married Church Attendance Weekly or more Monthly or less Seldom or never Religion White evangelical protestant White mainline protestant Catholic Ideology Conservative Moderate Liberal Party Identification Republican Democrat Independent Region Northeast Midwest South West 20 35 47 31 50 30 25 52 27 20 24 27 60 60 22 18 38 32 24 39 24 20 23 47 37 33 1 2 4 4=100 5=100 1=100 234 254 180 $30,000 to $75,000 36 20 23 36 39 2 3 4=100 3=100 447 292 11 27 30 25 44 47 2 3 1 2=100 4=100 4=100 290 246 198 8 30 22 25 39 47 5 2 2 2=100 5=100 2=100 173 172 173 15 23 31 29 43 44 1 3 2 3=100 4=100 3=100 301 291 126 18 24 24 29 40 43 1 2 4 2=100 4=100 4=100 242 239 228 28 17 21 23 46 44 27 39 3 * 3 2 3=100 4=100 2=100 5=100 128 177 254 186 Source: Pew Research Center survey, February 1 - 5, 2006 14 Telling a Lie to Spare Someone’s Feelings Percent who believe this behavior is… Morally Morally Not a (Vol.) Don’t wrong acceptable moral issue Depends know % 43 % 23 % 26 % 6 % 2=100 N All adults Gender Men Women Age 18-49 50-64 65+ Education College Grad Some college 745 43 42 22 25 27 24 6 7 2=100 2=100 359 386 42 39 50 26 21 19 28 25 18 3 11 9 1=100 4=100 4=100 357 230 147 36 40 26 22 22 32 31 20 5 6 7 1=100 1=100 3=100 304 188 249 High school or less 48 Family Income $75,000 or more Less than $30,000 Marital Status Married Not married Church Attendance Weekly or more Monthly or less Seldom or never Religion White evangelical protestant White mainline protestant Catholic Ideology Conservative Moderate Liberal Party Identification Republican Democrat Independent Region Northeast Midwest South West 33 41 54 37 48 40 37 54 35 31 36 37 58 55 39 29 44 41 33 52 26 27 20 35 26 18 4 6 8 2=100 *=100 2=100 234 254 180 $30,000 to $75,000 41 21 26 27 24 6 7 2=100 2=100 447 292 15 27 32 21 26 33 6 7 4 3=100 1=100 2=100 290 246 198 16 28 29 19 26 26 3 8 6 4=100 2=100 2=100 173 172 173 15 31 28 24 26 30 6 6 6 1=100 2=100 5=100 301 291 126 21 25 26 26 23 29 4 10 5 1=100 2=100 3=100 242 239 228 30 24 18 25 30 28 21 26 7 3 6 9 *=100 4=100 1=100 3=100 128 177 254 186 Source: Pew Research Center survey, February 1 - 5, 2006 15 Overeating Percent who believe this behavior is… Morally Morally Not a (Vol.) Don’t wrong acceptable moral issue Depends know % 32 % 6 % 58 % 3 % 1=100 N All adults Gender Men Women Age 18-49 50-64 65+ Education College Grad Some college 745 32 31 7 5 55 60 4 3 2=100 1=100 359 386 29 32 40 5 6 7 61 57 48 3 3 4 2=100 2=100 1=100 357 230 147 17 27 4 8 6 74 60 47 2 4 4 3=100 1=100 1=100 304 188 249 High school or less 42 Family Income $75,000 or more Less than $30,000 Marital Status Married Not married Church Attendance Weekly or more Monthly or less Seldom or never Religion White evangelical protestant White mainline protestant Catholic Ideology Conservative Moderate Liberal Party Identification Republican Democrat Independent Region Northeast Midwest South West 24 31 40 27 38 34 23 39 26 21 17 31 46 42 30 18 29 35 19 45 6 9 4 71 58 45 1 3 5 3=100 1=100 1=100 234 254 180 $30,000 to $75,000 29 6 6 62 53 2 5 1=100 1=100 447 292 5 7 7 47 60 70 5 2 3 1=100 1=100 2=100 290 246 198 4 7 8 45 73 55 4 2 3 1=100 1=100 3=100 173 172 173 4 9 6 52 61 68 3 3 3 2=100 1=100 2=100 301 291 126 4 8 5 56 50 68 1 5 3 1=100 3=100 1=100 242 239 228 9 4 6 5 61 61 48 66 4 3 4 1 2=100 1=100 2=100 1=100 128 177 254 186 Source: Pew Research Center survey, February 1 - 5, 2006 16 Smoking Marijuana Percent who believe this behavior is… Morally Morally Not a (Vol.) Don’t wrong acceptable moral issue Depends know % 50 % 10 % 35 % 4 % 1=100 N All adults Gender Men Women Age 18-49 50-64 65+ Education College Grad Some college 745 51 50 10 10 35 35 3 4 1=100 1=100 359 386 44 51 74 11 8 6 41 33 16 3 6 3 1=100 2=100 1=100 357 230 147 37 42 8 9 10 52 45 20 1 4 5 2=100 *=100 2=100 304 188 249 High school or less 63 Family Income $75,000 or more Less than $30,000 Marital Status Married Not married Church Attendance Weekly or more Monthly or less Seldom or never Religion White evangelical protestant White mainline protestant Catholic Ideology Conservative Moderate Liberal Party Identification Republican Democrat Independent Region Northeast Midwest South West 44 50 61 40 65 47 41 65 48 29 47 51 68 66 45 37 52 50 36 60 7 10 10 54 33 25 2 6 3 1=100 1=100 2=100 234 254 180 $30,000 to $75,000 50 8 11 37 32 2 5 1=100 2=100 447 292 5 13 11 24 38 47 3 4 4 2=100 *=100 1=100 290 246 198 5 14 6 21 35 38 6 2 2 0=100 2=100 3=100 173 172 173 7 8 19 24 39 50 3 4 1 1=100 1=100 1=100 301 291 126 5 11 11 28 33 45 2 6 2 0=100 3=100 1=100 242 239 228 14 9 5 14 39 37 29 38 2 3 5 5 1=100 1=100 *=100 3=100 128 177 254 186 Source: Pew Research Center survey, February 1 - 5, 2006