{"id":11465,"date":"2005-10-19T13:05:59","date_gmt":"2005-10-19T17:05:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/wnet\/religionandethics\/?p=11465"},"modified":"2012-07-26T11:05:06","modified_gmt":"2012-07-26T15:05:06","slug":"october-19-2005-faith-and-family-in-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/wnet\/religionandethics\/2005\/10\/19\/october-19-2005-faith-and-family-in-america\/11465\/","title":{"rendered":" Faith and Family in America"},"content":{"rendered":"

\nPoll: Americans Idealize Traditional Family,
\nEven as Nontraditional Families Are More Accepted<\/strong>
\nTo Most Americans, “Moral Values” Means Personal Honesty and Responsibility\n<\/p>\n

In a recent poll on religion and the family conducted for RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research Inc., almost three quarters of all Americans agree that “God’s plan for marriage is one man, one woman, for life.” A strong majority of Americans (71%) idealize the traditional family even as divorce, cohabitation, and nontraditional family situations are becoming more accepted across religious groups. Only 22% of Americans think that divorce is a sin and almost half (49%) say that cohabitation is acceptable.<\/p>\n

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View or Download the Data<\/div>\n
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Summary<\/a> (PDF, 899 KB)<\/p>\n

Questionnaire<\/a> (PDF, 331 KB)<\/p>\n

Methodology<\/a> (PDF, 44 KB)<\/p>\n

Demographics<\/a> (PDF, 85 KB)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\nViewing these files requires the free Adobe Reader<\/a>.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

According to the survey, the growing acceptance of divorce is also occurring among religious conservatives. Only 34% of evangelical Christians and 30% of traditional Catholics say that divorce is a sin.<\/p>\n

On the question of “moral values,” the survey found that most American families place a higher priority on personal values than on divisive social issues. In the 2004 national election exit poll, about one fifth of voters said moral values mattered most in deciding how to vote for president. In the RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY survey, roughly the same proportion — 18% — named moral values as the concern that worries them the most. But when asked what “moral values” means to them, the largest number of respondents — 36% — said personal values such as honesty and responsibility. Only 10% of respondents said “moral values” means opinions on a social issue, such as abortion or gay marriage. One quarter said “family values,” such as protecting children.<\/p>\n

The survey also compared the religious commitments and practices of traditional and nontraditional families. For example, 50% of traditional parents say they attend religious services once a week or more, but only 36% of nontraditional parents say the same. On the other hand, 49% of both traditional and nontraditional families say they read religious scriptures every week; 45% of traditional families and 42% of nontraditional families say they have devotions with their families every week.<\/p>\n

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Watch the Episodes<\/div>\n
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Part 1:<\/strong> “Beliefs and Behavior”<\/a><\/p>\n

Part 2:<\/strong> “Religion and Parenting”<\/a><\/p>\n

Part 3:<\/strong> “African-American Families”<\/a><\/p>\n

Part 4:<\/strong> “Religious Responses”<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there has been enormous growth in the number of nontraditional families over the past 40 years in America. In 1970, traditional families (married couples with their own children) made up 40% of American households. By 2000, they comprised only 24%. From 1960 to 2000, the number of unmarried couples living together increased tenfold; about 10 million people (8% of U.S. coupled households) are cohabiting with a partner of the opposite sex.<\/p>\n

Other highlights from the RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY poll include:<\/p>\n