Barna

Jul 20, 2019

Right or Wrong? Christians & Non-Christians Discuss Morals

models

New Barna data collected in the summer of 2022 finds both parallels and stark divides on social issues that Christians and non-Christians identify as morally “right” or “wrong.”

This article looks at responses from Americans—Christians, non-Christians and generations—to explore U.S. adults’ current views on morality.

[barna-ad offset=0]

Extramarital Affairs Top the List for Being “Always” Morally Wrong

It has been over a decade since Barna last reported on American’s moral concerns, and over six years since diving a bit deeper into Americans’ perceptions of what morality is based on and where it comes from. In recent years, Barna has studied the moral beliefs and shifts of younger generations, but it has been some time since Barna research looked at the whole of America.

That’s why in a recent Barna omnipoll conducted in June of 2022, Americans were invited to share their perspectives on social issues, indicating whether the topics—such as illegal drug use, homosexuality and gun ownership, to name a few—are morally wrong or right.

Data show that half of all U.S. adults (51%) believe that extramarital affairs are “always” morally wrong. Following this, polyamory (42%), illegal drug use (41%), psychedelic drug use (35%) and undergoing a gender transition (31%) take up the top spots as “always” morally wrong.

There are very few items that Americans feel lukewarm about—responses tend to lean either to “always” morally wrong or “never” morally wrong rather than dividing up somewhat evenly amongst the five feedback options.

So what do Americans most often label as “never” morally wrong? U.S. adults are fairly certain women in leadership is “never” morally wrong (67%). Other topics, such as gay marriage (41%), homosexuality (41%), sex before marriage (40%), gun ownership and marijuana use (38%) follow at short a distance.

Exploring responses by generation, data show that younger Americans are far less likely than older adults to say that any of the topics presented to them are “always” morally wrong, aligning with past research on generations and morality. When comparing side-by-side, Barna researchers call attention to a consistent upward trend, in which Gen Z’s response of “always” wrong sits lower on the scale than the more frequent responses of “always” wrong among Boomers.

There Is Only One Issue Non-Christians Are More Likely than Christians to Say Is Immoral
Christians have long prided themselves in taking the high road when it comes to social issues and morality in America. Whether the stance is biblically based or politically driven, Christians’ views and actions around pressing social issues in the U.S. have often left non-Christians more easily recalling what Christians are against rather than who they are for.

When looking specifically at responses for “always” morally wrong among Christians and non-Christians, these two groups follow a predictable pattern. For nearly every social issue listed, Christians consistently choose “always” wrong far more frequently than non-Christians, with only a few outliers at the end of the chart finding similar responses across both segments.

However, there is one social issue that flips the established trend.

When it comes to religious conversion, non-Christians’ opposition is clear. A third of non-Christians (33%) believe it is “always” wrong to try and persuade religious conversion, while just 18 percent of Christians say the same.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Barna’s recent omnipoll also explores Americans’ concerns about government policy in the near-future, perceptions on the legality or illegality of certain social issues, thoughts on who or what can create the most meaningful change in the world, comfort level with discussing issues that matter the most to them, trust of Christian pastors to lead thoughtful conversations on sensitive topics and much more.

Barna will continue reporting on these findings and more throughout the summer and into the fall of 2022, with articles on Barna.com offering a quick glimpse of the data and exclusive content on Barna Access Plus (briefings, video interviews, preaching resources, etc.) offering a deeper dive into each topic.

[barna-ad offset=0]

Comment on this article and follow our work:
Twitter: @davidkinnaman | @barnagroup
Instagram: @barnagroup
Facebook: Barna Group
YouTube: Barna Group

About the Research
aaa

Photo by Robert Ruggiero from Unsplash. 

About Barna
Barna is a private, non-partisan, for-profit organization under the umbrella of the Issachar Companies. Located in Ventura, California, Barna Group has been conducting and analyzing primary research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors since 1984.

© Barna Group, 2022

About Barna

Since 1984, Barna Group has conducted more than two million interviews over the course of thousands of studies and has become a go-to source for insights about faith, culture, leadership, vocation and generations. Barna is a private, non-partisan, for-profit organization.

Get Barna in your inbox

Subscribe to Barna’s free newsletters for the latest data and insights to navigate today’s most complex issues.