Sources of guidance on right and wrong among adults who would rather have a smaller government with fewer services by belief in existence of standards for right and wrong (2014) Switch to: Belief in absolute standards for right and wrong among adults who would rather have a smaller government with fewer services by sources of guidance on right and wrong

% of adults who would rather have a smaller government with fewer services who say they look to…most for guidance on right and wrong

Belief in absolute standards for right and wrongReligionPhilosophy/reasonCommon senseScienceDon't knowSample size
There are clear standards for what is right and wrong54%6%33%4%2%8,496
Right or wrong depends on the situation24%12%54%9%2%10,268
Neither/both equally34%11%38%5%12%271
Don't know40%10%32%8%11%151
Sample sizes and margins of error vary from subgroup to subgroup, from year to year and from state to state. You can see the sample size for the estimates in this chart on rollover or in the last column of the table. And visit this table to see approximate margins of error for a group of a given size. Readers should always bear in mind the approximate margin of error for the group they are examining when making comparisons with other groups or assessing the significance of trends over time. For full question wording, see the survey questionnaire.

Learn More: Religion, Philosophy/reason, Common sense, Science