Multiple factors of instability in the United States could further intensify the social divide, experts said after a recent Gallup poll found that 54 percent of US adults surveyed consider the overall state of moral values in the country to be “poor”.
That marked an increase of 4 percentage points since last year and the lowest rating seen by Gallup in 22 years.
The poll, released on Friday, found that 33 percent of US adults think moral values in the country are “fair”, 10 percent rated them as “good” and 1 percent said they were “excellent”.
The survey was conducted from May 1 to 24 and interviewed 1,011 people age 18 and older. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
When Gallup asked voters what they think the main problem is, the top answer was: “The way people treat each other, or lack of consideration for others.”
Republicans and Democrats alike think the other side does not respect citizens. The parties are divided in a way that the country has never seen, with little to no overlap on important subjects, experts said.
The US is witnessing a worsening of gun violence, major setbacks for women’s and children’s rights, and increased social conflict due to racism and social inequality, said Sun Xihui, an associate research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ National Institute of International Strategy.
Source : China Daily
