Americans say they are more tolerant and open-minded than their parents. Among the issues that rate more morally acceptable today than a decade ago: homosexuality, human cloning, pre-marital sex, and having a child out of wedlock.  At the same time, half believe the economic system is unfair to middle- and working-class Americans, and only 17 percent believe Wall Street executives share fundamental American values. In all, two-thirds think the country is heading in the wrong direction, 69 percent believe the country's values have deteriorated since the 1970s, and nearly half say values will further weaken over the next 10 years.

Such are the highlights of The Atlantic/Aspen Institute American Values Survey. Elsewhere on the site, pollster Mark Penn provides a full analysis of the survey, which was conducted by his firm, Penn Schoen Berland. Below, a brief summary in charts:


Two-thirds of those surveyed say the country is heading in the wrong direction ...

... and nearly half expect American values to weaken over the next decade.



Related links:

Overview and analysis, by Mark Penn
How technology is shaping young people, by Rebecca Rosen
Government of, by, and for the elderly, by Derek Thompson
Should America try to spread its values abroad? by Conor Friedersdorf
The full results (PDF)

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