Sources of guidance on right and wrong among adults in the West by religious group (2014) Switch to: Religious tradition among adults in the West by sources of guidance on right and wrong

% of adults in the West who say they look to…most for guidance on right and wrong

Religious traditionReligionPhilosophy/reasonCommon senseScienceDon't knowSample size
Buddhist9%27%52%10%2%113
Catholic30%10%46%12%3%1,660
Evangelical Protestant60%5%29%3%2%1,819
Historically Black Protestant46%9%40%2%2%143
Jewish12%14%51%19%5%181
Mainline Protestant26%12%51%8%3%1,141
Mormon64%3%27%3%3%480
Unaffiliated (religious "nones")4%21%55%18%2%2,388
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