Decades of rising moral permissiveness have stalled, with attitudes changing on a number of social issues, the poll suggests.
Americans have become less likely to view a variety of social behaviors as morally acceptable, according to a new Gallup poll.
Released on Tuesday, the survey found the sharpest year-over-year declines in acceptance of children out of wedlock, birth control, gambling, sex between teenagers, and animal reproduction.
Birth control remained the most acceptable practice tracked by Gallup, with 83% of respondents saying it was morally acceptable. However, support fell by seven percent from 2025, reaching the lowest level since the question was first included in the survey in 2012.
Acceptance of having a child out of wedlock fell by nine percentage points to 58%, while support for gambling fell by six points to 57%. The share of Americans who see sex between teenagers as morally acceptable stood at 35%, while approval of animal modeling fell to a record low of 27%.
Six practices have reached the lowest levels of moral acceptance among Americans: birth control (83%), gambling (57%), the death penalty (52%), medical testing on animals (45%), reassignment (38%) and animal cloning (27%).
Birth control remains the most accepted practice… pic.twitter.com/BsYJefz4QU
— Swell (@Gallup) June 10, 2026
Despite the decline, the majority of respondents still considered several behaviors morally acceptable, including divorce (74%), sex between unmarried adults (65%), gay or lesbian relationships (62%), embryo research (59%), buying and wearing animal fur (57%), and the death penalty (52%).
Opinions on abortion remained divided, with 49% of respondents describing it as morally acceptable and 41% as morally wrong. Americans were also closely divided on physician-assisted suicide and medical testing on animals.
The poll also highlighted sharp partisan divisions, with Democrats more likely than Republicans to view abortion, transgenderism, and gay or lesbian relationships as morally acceptable, with Republicans more likely to support the death penalty.
According to Gallup, Americans remain more accepting of compliant behavior than they were two decades ago. However, the polling firm said the results show that the decades-long shift toward greater moral permissiveness has slowed significantly and, in some cases, may be beginning to reverse. The survey was conducted among 1,001 adults nationwide between May 1 and May 17.
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