The Pew Research Center conducted a large international study that asked adults in 25 countries to judge the morality of several behaviors. In the United States, a representative sample of 3,605 adults was surveyed from March 24 to 30, 2026. When asked specifically about homosexuality—a question framed in the U.S. as whether being gay is wrong—about 39% of respondents said it was morally unacceptable. This piece unpacks those results, explores who holds these views, and places the U.S. in the global context offered by the broader 25-country study.
Key findings from the U.S. sample
Within the American responses, attitudes are mixed: a plurality do not label being gay as morally wrong, yet a substantial minority do. The share saying homosexuality is wrong edged up slightly from the 2013 figure—rising from 37% to 39% in 2026—suggesting only modest change over the decade. The Pew survey included nine behaviors, such as having an abortion, gambling and viewing pornography. On most of those items the United States fell near the global median, but the nation was unusually strict on some issues (like extramarital affairs) and comparatively permissive on others (such as marijuana use).
Who is more likely to disapprove
Differences within the U.S. population are pronounced. Gender patterns show women are more likely to view being gay as acceptable or not a moral issue—about 62% of women took that stance versus roughly 56% of men. Age matters too: 43% of adults aged 40 and older said homosexuality is morally unacceptable, compared with about 33% among those 18–39. Education correlates with stance as well; respondents with lower levels of formal schooling were more prone to disapprove of multiple behaviors included in the questionnaire.
Religiosity and religious affiliation
Religion is the strongest single predictor. Half or more of those who report daily prayer are likely to disapprove of homosexuality: specifically, about 58% of daily pray-ers said it was wrong, compared with only 24% of people who pray less or not at all. Across faiths, Christian respondents tended to be among the most likely to judge several behaviors as morally unacceptable. In countries where religious campaigning by external groups has been influential, such as parts of Africa, rejection rates were far higher: for example, the survey reported that 96% in Nigeria and 93% in Indonesia viewed homosexuality as immoral.
Comparisons with other countries
Placed alongside the 24 other nations in the study, the United States ranked ninth in the share saying homosexuality is morally unacceptable, located between Israel at 47% and Hungary at 34%. By contrast, Germany and Sweden were at the most accepting end, with only 5% in each country labeling homosexuality as morally wrong. The U.S. is neither the most judgmental nor the most permissive overall: it sits in the middle on most of the nine behaviors but stands out for particularly strong condemnation of extramarital affairs (about 90% say affairs are wrong) and relatively high acceptance of marijuana use and gambling (only 23% see marijuana use as morally unacceptable, 29% say the same about gambling).
How Americans view each other
One unusual finding from the 25-country project is that the United States is the only country where more residents call the morals of fellow citizens bad than good. Fifty-three percent of Americans describe their compatriots as having somewhat or very bad morals, while 47% say the opposite. Partisan divisions play a role: Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents were more likely than Republicans to rate fellow Americans as morally bad (about 60% vs. 46%), echoing other research showing growing moralization of political opponents.
Scope and limitations of the measure
It is important to note the Pew question focused narrowly on homosexuality, not the wider LGBTQ+ umbrella, and it did not probe views of transgender people in this set of items. A separate Pew survey of LGBTQ+ adults found that attitudes toward gay, lesbian and bisexual people have generally become more positive in the U.S., even as support for transgender people has shown signs of weakening. The U.S. component of the 25-country project came from the Center’s American Trends Panel, and international data drew on roughly 28,333 adults surveyed between Jan. 8 and April 26, 2026, offering a broad comparative picture while highlighting deep demographic and religious cleavages within countries.
Overall, the data reveal a nation divided: while a majority of Americans do not label being gay as wrong, a sizable and persistent minority does, with belief shaped strongly by faith, age, gender and education. The global comparisons underscore how cultural, religious and political contexts shape public morals, making the U.S. neither an outlier nor a model but a country with its own distinctive pattern of acceptance and opposition.