06/08/2026
This is fascinating data from Pew Research Center. But we should also be mindful of at least three key caveats:
1. Inconsistent survey methodologies across countries -- The mode of data collection varied significantly depending on the country, which introduces the risk of "mode effects" (such as social desirability bias) when asking sensitive questions about morality and ethics. The United States and Australia were surveyed using online panels, whereas European countries were surveyed over the phone. Meanwhile, countries in Latin America, Africa, and parts of Asia were surveyed via face-to-face interviews. Comparing uninhibited responses from an online panel directly against responses given to a live interviewer can (and very likely did) skew cross-cultural comparisons.
2. Partisan dissatisfaction acting as a proxy for moral judgment -- The data suggests that the perception of "immorality" is heavily influenced by political polarization rather than an objective assessment of peers' behavior. The researchers note that in the U.S. and more than half of the other countries surveyed, respondents who do not support the current governing party are much more likely to label their fellow citizens as immoral. Furthermore, there is a distinct disconnect in the data: while Americans broadly claim their peers have bad morals, they rank in the middle of the pack globally (and are highly permissive on issues like ma*****na and gambling) when judging the morality of specific behaviors. This indicates the primary finding may be capturing general political and societal grievance rather than strict moral condemnation of neighbors.
3. A lack of historical trend data for the primary metric -- The headline finding relies on a question Pew explicitly states they have never asked before. Because there is no historical baseline for how Americans (or other nationalities) rate the general morality of their fellow citizens, it is impossible to determine if this negative view is a recent phenomenon driven by contemporary events or a long-standing cultural disposition.
