Cheating on Spouse or Taxes Morally Acceptable for Many

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Nearly one in five Americans think cheating on taxes is morally acceptable or is not a moral issue.

Some 10 percent are equally ambivalent about cheating on a spouse.

The flip side: Three percent said affairs are morally acceptable and 7 percent said they are not a moral issue. For tax cheating, those numbers were 5 percent and 14 percent, respectively.

Survey respondents were read a list of ten behaviors and asked whether, in their personal opinion, each one is "morally acceptable, morally wrong, or not a moral issue."

The percentage who called other activities morally wrong:

  • Drinking alcohol excessively: 61 percent
  • Having an abortion: 52 percent
  • Smoking marijuana: 50 percent
  • Homosexual behavior: 50 percent
  • Telling a lie to spare feelings: 43 percent
  • Sex between unmarried adults: 35 percent
  • Gambling: 35 percent
  • Overeating: 32 percent

The telephone survey of 1,500 adults was conducted in early February. It has a sampling error of plus or minus 4 percent.

Live Science Staff
Live Science Staff
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