Don't Legislate Morality: Most Americans Can't Agree on What's Immoral
By J.D. Tuccille
Published on March 25, 2026.
The article discusses the difficulty of legislating morality in America, with the author suggesting that most Americans disagree on what constitutes an immoral activity. The author points out that 90% of Americans believe it's immoral for married people to have an extramarital affair, while only 2% believe it is morally acceptable. The article also mentions that 41% of people believe eating meat is morally OK, while 41% believe meat consumption is murder. Pew Research found that while infidelity is seen as the most immoral activity, viewing pornography is considered more morally acceptable than viewing pornography. Other common issues include the death penalty, spanking children, using marijuana, and divorce, but only 23% agree on these issues. Despite this disagreement, the author concludes that there is no universal agreement on many moral issues, with most Americans believing success is not an immoral one. There are also significant differences in opinion on whether being extremely rich (for example, having billions of dollars) is immoral or not immoral, and 63% believe being rich is not a moral issue.
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