Unlike Americans, Canadians more likely to see each other as 'morally good'

There’s a massive difference in how adults in Canada and the U.S. view their fellow citizens’ morality, according to a new survey.

According to a report by Pew Research, people in Canada are more likely to see the best in each other compared to how adults in the U.S. view their fellow citizens. The survey asked people from 25 countries to rate the morality and ethics of others in their country, and whether they saw each other as “morally good.”

A total of 92 per cent of adults in Canada see their fellow citizens as morally good, of which a significant number see their fellow Canadians as having “very good morals.” Similar to Canada, residents in Indonesia (92 per cent), India (88 per cent), Sweden (88 per cent), Australia (85 per cent), Japan (83 per cent), Mexico (83 per cent), and the U.K. (82 per cent) also think highly of each other.

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Only seven per cent of Canadians view their fellow citizens’ morality and ethics as “somewhat bad” or “very bad.”

The same can’t be said for Americans, though, and the gap is striking.

Overall, only 47 per cent of Americans see their fellow citizens as “morally good,” with just a small fraction who think others have “very good” morals. In total, 53 per cent of Americans view others’ morality and ethics as “somewhat bad” or “very bad.”

The survey states that “partisan politics appear to play a role,” as does the fact that Americans are “more moralistic, in general, than people in other countries.”

Pew Research Center

In other countries, people also gave their fellow citizens poor marks when it comes to morality: Turkey (51 per cent), Brazil (51 per cent), Greece (55 per cent), France (55 per cent), and Italy (59 per cent).

The survey dug deeper, asking participants about their views on other topics such as extramarital affairs, divorce, abortion, gambling, homosexuality, drinking alcohol, and viewing pornography. On average, 77 per cent of adults across the 25 countries agreed that “married people having an affair is morally unacceptable.”

Percentage of Canadians and Americans who say the following behaviours are “morally unacceptable”

When it comes to behaviours Canadians and Americans found acceptable, it seems like they’re generally on the same page. The biggest differences show up in the number of Canadians and Americans who say homosexuality (15 vs. 39 per cent), abortion (19 vs. 47 per cent), and divorce (11 vs. 23 per cent) are “morally unacceptable.”

Despite the differences, there were several issues that most participants could agree on.

In general, both countries seem to have little to no difference in how they view using contraceptives, drinking alcohol, viewing pornography, using marijuana, and gambling.

Check out the full report on the Pew Research Center website.

What are your thoughts on this survey? Let us know in the comments.

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