What Your Neighbors Really Think

In nearly every other country surveyed, the opposite was found. More people said that their neighbors have somewhat or very good morals than those who said they displayed somewhat or very bad levels of morality.

But again, not in America.

According to the Pew Research Center, “The United States is the only place we surveyed where more adults (ages 18 and older) describe the morality and ethics of others living in the country as bad (53%) than as good (47%).”

Since this was the first time Pew has ever asked this question, it isn’t known whether this is a new assessment of our neighbors, or one that has been longstanding. And if a new one, it is not known what may be driving it.

They have a suspicion, though. Yep, partisan politics.

Because they did find that those who lean toward the Democratic Party are more likely than Republican leaners to rate their fellow Americans as morally and ethically bad, and earlier research had shown that “rising numbers of both Republicans and Democrats say people in the other party are immoral.”

Another possible explanation is that people in America are simply more moralistic than people in other countries. Translation: we are more inclined to judge various behaviors to be immoral or sinful.

The problem with that theory is that the results of the survey questions posed by Pew don’t support the idea that Americans are especially judgmental. In asking about nine specific behaviors, including having an abortion and drinking alcohol, the report found the U.S. is somewhere in the middle:

It’s neither the country where the highest percentage of adults view each behavior as morally wrong, nor is it the country where the highest percentage say the same behavior is morally acceptable or not a moral issue.

For example, 39% of U.S. adults say homosexuality is morally wrong—far more than take that position in Germany or Sweden (5% each), but far fewer than in Indonesia (93%) or Nigeria (96%).

In case you are curious, Americans are most inclined to view a married person having an affair as morally wrong, and most accepting of using marijuana or gambling.

But no matter the behavior, one thing is sure:

... your neighbor thinks you have character issues.

James Emery White

Sources

Jonathan Evans et al., “In 25-Country Survey, Americans Especially Likely to View Fellow Citizens as Morally Bad,” Pew Research Center, March 5, 2026, read online.

Michelle Boorstein, “U.S. Was Only Country in a Worldwide Survey to Say Most Fellow Citizens Are Bad People,” The Washington Post, March 6, 2026, read online.

Fiona André, “Survey: Americans Alone in Finding Fellow Citizens ‘Morally Bad,’” Religion News Service, March 5, 2026, read online.

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James Emery White is the founding and senior pastor of Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC, and a former professor of theology and culture at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he also served as their fourth president. His latest book, Hybrid Church: Rethinking the Church for a Post-Christian Digital Age, is now available on Amazon or from your favorite bookseller. To enjoy a free subscription to the Church & Culture blog, visit churchandculture.org where you can view past blogs in our archive, read the latest church and culture news from around the world, and listen to the Church & Culture Podcast. Follow Dr. White on X, Facebook, and Instagram at @JamesEmeryWhite.