Americans Hold Negative Views of Fellow Citizens' Morality, While Canadians Show Remarkable Positivity
A groundbreaking international survey conducted by the Washington, D.C.-based Pew Research Center has uncovered striking differences in how citizens perceive the moral character of their fellow countrymen. The comprehensive study, which gathered responses from 25 nations, reveals that the United States stands alone as the only country where more people rate their fellow citizens as morally bad than good.
Stark Contrast Between North American Neighbors
The research demonstrates a dramatic divergence between the United States and Canada. In the United States, a significant 53% of respondents described their fellow Americans as morally or ethically bad, with 11% selecting "very bad" and 42% choosing "somewhat bad." This negative perception contrasts sharply with the 47% who viewed their compatriots positively, comprising 4% "very good" and 43% "somewhat good."
Canada emerged at the opposite end of the spectrum, with just 7% of Canadians viewing their fellow citizens negatively. The overwhelming majority expressed positive views, with 38% describing others as "very good" and 54% as "somewhat good." This places Canada at the top of the international rankings for positive moral perceptions.
Methodology and International Context
The survey, conducted between January 8 and April 26, 2025, involved 28,333 adults across 25 countries using a combination of telephone and face-to-face interviews. Participants were asked: "Generally, how would you rate the morality of (survey country nationality) – are their morals very good, somewhat good, somewhat bad or very bad?" The margin of error for the study was plus or minus 1.9 percentage points.
Several other nations, including Turkey, Brazil, Greece, and France, showed nearly equal divisions between positive and negative perceptions. However, the United States remained unique in having a clear majority expressing negative views about their fellow citizens' morality.
Political Polarization and Moral Judgments
Researchers noted that partisan politics appears to play a significant role in shaping these perceptions within the United States. Democrats and independent voters leaning toward the Democratic Party were substantially more likely than Republicans and Republican-leaning independents to rate fellow Americans as morally bad or very bad, with 60% versus 46% respectively.
"Because we have never asked this question before, we don't know whether a majority of Americans have long held a skeptical view of the ethics of fellow Americans, or if it's something new – and if so, what's driving it," the researchers explained in their findings presentation. "Previous research has shown that rising numbers of both Republicans and Democrats say people in the other party are immoral."
Comparative Moral Attitudes on Specific Behaviors
The study also examined attitudes toward nine specific behaviors to determine whether Americans might be generally more judgmental than citizens of other nations. The results showed that U.S. respondents typically fell in the middle range among the 25 countries surveyed.
On the issue of homosexuality, 39% of Americans considered it morally wrong, compared to just 5% of Swedes, 15% of Canadians, and 96% of Nigerians. Canadians demonstrated slightly more permissive attitudes than Americans across most behaviors examined.
Extramarital affairs were deemed morally wrong by 90% of Americans but only 76% of Canadians. Viewing pornography was considered wrong by 52% of Americans and 48% of Canadians. Gambling was seen as wrong by 29% of Americans and 27% of Canadians, while marijuana usage was thought wrong by 23% of Americans and 19% of Canadians.
The widest gap emerged on abortion, which 47% of Americans considered morally wrong compared to just 19% of Canadians. This difference highlights how certain issues have become increasingly politicized in recent years.
Implications and Future Research Directions
The researchers considered whether Americans might be inherently more moralistic than people in other countries, but found that other survey questions didn't support this hypothesis. The study raises important questions about social cohesion, trust, and national identity in an era of increasing polarization.
As the first comprehensive international survey of its kind, this research establishes a crucial baseline for understanding how citizens perceive the moral character of their fellow countrymen. Future studies will be needed to determine whether these perceptions represent longstanding cultural differences or more recent developments influenced by political and social factors.
