Americans Give Themselves Low Grades on Morality

Americans have been pretty pessimistic in recent decades about the general moral climate of the country.

New data suggests that opinion isn’t improving.

A Gallup poll released Monday shows that 76 percent of those surveyed said the morals of the country are getting worse. Only a scant 14 percent see morals as improving.

In the last nine years of the survey, the negative responses have far outweighed the positive, but this year’s number is up five points from 71 percent last year. The biggest negative to positive spread was 82-11 in 2007.

Declining moral standards and general disrespect of others were the two highest reasons standards. Moving away from religion, church or God was only listed among 7 percent of respondents, tied with the breakdown of traditional family structures and people not taking responsibility for their behaviors.

Rarely a week goes by where I’m out at an otherwise nondescript place such as a restaurant or the grocery store and don’t see or hear adults having an argument they should have behind closed doors or people of all ages using language as if they were hanging out with their buddies at a bar.

By the same token I’ve recently seen someone pay for somebody else’s gas when they were a few bucks short and kids voluntarily picking up other people’s trash at the park.

Do you agree with the survey results, or is it just a matter of perception which cuts both ways?

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