Majority of Americans say fellow citizens lack morals, highest among 25 nations

More Americans say their fellow citizens have poor morals and ethics than people in any other country surveyed by the Pew Research Center. In the U.S., 53% of adults say Americans have bad morals, while 47% say they have good morals. The U.S. is the only country among the 25 surveyed where a majority holds a negative view of their society’s morality.

The survey, released March 5, examined perceptions of national character across 25 countries. While Americans were the most likely to judge their society’s moral standards negatively, respondents in most other nations offered more favorable assessments of their compatriots’ ethical behavior.

Across the countries surveyed, the median share of respondents who say people in their nation have “good morals and ethics” is 64%, a significant 17-point lead over the 47% reported in the U.S. In several nations, the sense of social trust is nearly universal; for example, 92% of Swedes and 84% of Australians say their fellow citizens behave ethically.

The contrast is also sharp within North America and Europe. While the U.S. struggles with a “moral deficit” in public opinion, neighboring Canada (71%) and many Western European nations like Germany (70%) maintain much higher levels of confidence in their national character. Even in countries facing significant social or economic hurdles, such as Mexico (60%) and India (62%), majorities still view their fellow citizens as fundamentally good.

Political affiliation also shapes how Americans evaluate their country’s moral fabric. About 60% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents say Americans have bad morals and ethics, compared with 46% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents who share that view.

The survey also found that broader attitudes about the country’s direction correlate with these perceptions. Americans who say the economy is in poor condition or that the country is headed in the wrong direction are significantly more likely to judge their fellow citizens’ ethical standards harshly. Pew researchers also noted that this question about national morality had not been asked in previous international surveys, meaning it is unclear whether Americans have long held these views or whether the results reflect more recent shifts in public sentiment.

Experts suggest that Americans’ harsh self-assessment may be driven by a psychological phenomenon rather than a literal decline in behavior. Scott Schieman, a University of Toronto sociologist who studies the social psychology of Americans and Canadians, told The Washington Post that “Americans tend to think broadly that most other people are worse than they [themselves] are.” Schieman notes that while a “negativity bias” exists in other countries like Canada, it is nowhere near as sharp as it is in the U.S., where citizens are uniquely prone to viewing their neighbors through a lens of ethical skepticism.