November 13, 2014

Religion and Morality in Latin America

A Pew Research Center survey of 18 Latin American countries and Puerto Rico asked people whether eight specific behaviors — including homosexual behavior and having an abortion — are morally wrong. Even though Catholic Church teaching forbids some of these behaviors, Protestants across the region are more likely than Catholics to see many of them as morally unacceptable.

Abortion Alcohol Contraception Divorce Homosexual behavior Prostitution Sex outside marriage Suicide

% saying __ is morally wrong

0-24%

25-49%

50-74%

> 74%

Catholics

Protestants

of Catholics in … say abortion is morally wrong

was not included in the survey

of Protestants in … say abortion is morally wrong

was not included in the survey

Mouseover a country to see the values for both religions

Abortion: Clear majorities across the region view abortion as morally wrong. In many countries, Protestants are more likely than Catholics to hold this view.

	Catholics				Protestants
	Catholics			Protestants
	Catholics		Protestants
Country	% Morally wrong	% Morally acceptable	% Not a moral issue	% Unsure	% Morally wrong	% Morally acceptable	% Not a moral issue	% Unsure
Argentina	64	11	10	16	79	2	6	13
Bolivia	86	3	4	7	93	1	3	3
Brazil	80	2	7	10	88	1	2	9
Chile	57	8	16	20	78	7	7	8
Colombia	82	5	4	10	90	3	2	5
Costa Rica	82	4	4	10	88	2	4	5
Dominican Republic	90	2	2	5	96	1	2	1
Ecuador	84	2	8	6	95	2	3	1
El Salvador	95	1	3	1	93	1	3	3
Guatemala	94	1	1	4	98	1	1	1
Honduras	95	2	1	1	96	2	1	1
Mexico	71	9	11	9	78	5	5	12
Nicaragua	87	3	4	6	94	1	2	3
Panama	89	4	3	4	91	4	5	0
Paraguay	96	*	1	3	96	0	2	2
Peru	85	3	5	7	91	1	2	6
Puerto Rico	73	3	9	16	80	2	7	11
Uruguay	49	19	17	15	68	9	7	15
Venezuela	84	5	5	6	95	0	3	2

	Catholics				Protestants
	Catholics			Protestants
	Catholics		Protestants
Country	% Morally wrong	% Morally acceptable	% Not a moral issue	% Unsure	% Morally wrong	% Morally acceptable	% Not a moral issue	% Unsure
Argentina	22	41	29	8	49	25	19	7
Bolivia	59	12	20	9	85	2	10	3
Brazil	47	27	21	5	74	8	13	4
Chile	15	21	51	13	43	17	30	10
Colombia	50	29	13	8	76	13	7	4
Costa Rica	60	15	22	3	77	8	11	3
Dominican Republic	63	22	13	1	85	7	7	2
Ecuador	61	13	20	6	89	4	6	1
El Salvador	84	8	7	1	91	4	5	*
Guatemala	89	6	3	1	96	1	2	1
Honduras	89	6	4	*	93	4	2	1
Mexico	49	21	24	6	68	12	12	9
Nicaragua	83	8	6	2	94	2	3	*
Panama	75	13	10	2	87	9	4	*
Paraguay	57	20	19	5	73	11	14	2
Peru	55	15	23	7	83	3	11	3
Puerto Rico	34	24	35	6	55	13	27	5
Uruguay	33	34	26	7	49	26	19	6
Venezuela	44	32	20	4	81	6	10	3

	Catholics				Protestants
	Catholics			Protestants
	Catholics		Protestants
Country	% Morally wrong	% Morally acceptable	% Not a moral issue	% Unsure	% Morally wrong	% Morally acceptable	% Not a moral issue	% Unsure
Argentina	10	67	19	5	15	66	16	2
Bolivia	24	48	18	10	38	35	16	11
Brazil	16	60	16	8	22	62	11	5
Chile	5	53	35	6	23	38	27	13
Colombia	13	72	11	4	25	59	10	5
Costa Rica	22	57	18	3	20	61	16	3
Dominican Republic	18	68	10	4	30	58	8	4
Ecuador	23	55	17	5	35	40	17	8
El Salvador	46	38	11	4	48	39	8	5
Guatemala	52	35	9	4	50	35	9	5
Honduras	46	43	10	2	47	42	8	3
Mexico	28	49	17	5	36	46	14	5
Nicaragua	24	62	11	3	30	55	11	4
Panama	39	49	9	3	44	45	9	1
Paraguay	28	59	9	5	39	50	4	7
Peru	23	46	24	7	39	39	16	6
Puerto Rico	17	49	27	6	16	51	27	7
Uruguay	6	67	24	3	7	73	18	2
Venezuela	8	78	10	4	20	66	6	7

	Catholics				Protestants
	Catholics			Protestants
	Catholics		Protestants
Country	% Morally wrong	% Morally acceptable	% Not a moral issue	% Unsure	% Morally wrong	% Morally acceptable	% Not a moral issue	% Unsure
Argentina	16	52	23	9	27	38	22	12
Bolivia	47	26	18	9	58	18	14	9
Brazil	17	54	18	11	39	39	9	14
Chile	10	49	32	9	26	32	26	16
Colombia	30	46	14	9	49	27	13	11
Costa Rica	34	37	22	6	38	36	18	8
Dominican Republic	27	53	15	6	45	40	10	4
Ecuador	37	37	18	8	64	17	13	7
El Salvador	51	30	10	8	61	23	9	7
Guatemala	69	17	8	7	74	17	4	5
Honduras	59	32	7	2	61	29	7	3
Mexico	32	45	16	7	49	31	7	13
Nicaragua	38	43	13	6	53	31	10	6
Panama	51	36	6	7	70	21	4	5
Paraguay	27	51	8	14	51	32	8	9
Peru	39	29	21	10	67	16	10	8
Puerto Rico	22	40	25	13	23	37	26	14
Uruguay	12	54	29	5	26	48	20	6
Venezuela	22	59	11	8	52	31	7	11

	Catholics				Protestants
	Catholics			Protestants
	Catholics		Protestants
Country	% Morally wrong	% Morally acceptable	% Not a moral issue	% Unsure	% Morally wrong	% Morally acceptable	% Not a moral issue	% Unsure
Argentina	45	27	20	9	65	13	13	10
Bolivia	71	9	11	9	83	3	6	8
Brazil	57	16	20	8	83	7	7	3
Chile	37	18	29	16	70	9	13	8
Colombia	65	18	9	8	85	8	5	2
Costa Rica	66	14	15	6	83	6	9	2
Dominican Republic	79	10	8	2	94	4	2	1
Ecuador	77	5	11	7	91	1	5	2
El Salvador	86	6	6	3	91	4	5	*
Guatemala	89	4	4	2	93	2	4	1
Honduras	83	7	8	1	94	2	3	1
Mexico	55	21	17	7	77	12	8	4
Nicaragua	78	10	7	4	92	4	3	1
Panama	81	9	7	3	90	5	5	0
Paraguay	82	10	4	4	88	7	3	2
Peru	71	11	11	6	85	6	3	6
Puerto Rico	56	11	22	11	76	5	13	6
Uruguay	34	33	23	10	63	19	13	5
Venezuela	65	17	11	7	89	4	5	3

	Catholics				Protestants
	Catholics			Protestants
	Catholics		Protestants
Country	% Morally wrong	% Morally acceptable	% Not a moral issue	% Unsure	% Morally wrong	% Morally acceptable	% Not a moral issue	% Unsure
Argentina	69	8	13	10	87	2	6	5
Bolivia	85	3	6	6	94	1	3	3
Brazil	85	4	8	3	95	*	3	2
Chile	57	7	20	15	84	5	5	7
Colombia	84	5	4	7	92	2	3	3
Costa Rica	80	5	8	7	91	1	4	3
Dominican Republic	93	3	3	2	96	1	2	1
Ecuador	80	3	10	7	94	2	3	1
El Salvador	94	2	3	1	94	2	3	1
Guatemala	96	2	2	1	97	1	1	*
Honduras	92	3	2	2	95	2	1	2
Mexico	71	8	14	7	83	7	3	7
Nicaragua	93	2	3	2	96	1	1	1
Panama	93	3	3	2	91	7	3	0
Paraguay	96	1	2	1	95	3	2	0
Peru	90	3	5	3	90	2	3	5
Puerto Rico	86	2	7	5	90	1	6	2
Uruguay	51	14	20	15	78	7	9	6
Venezuela	88	3	5	4	96	1	2	1

	Catholics				Protestants
	Catholics			Protestants
	Catholics		Protestants
Country	% Morally wrong	% Morally acceptable	% Not a moral issue	% Unsure	% Morally wrong	% Morally acceptable	% Not a moral issue	% Unsure
Argentina	22	49	22	7	40	39	16	4
Bolivia	56	18	15	11	74	12	8	7
Brazil	44	29	20	6	76	14	6	4
Chile	18	34	37	12	51	21	18	10
Colombia	40	38	14	9	74	15	8	4
Costa Rica	47	29	19	5	69	21	8	2
Dominican Republic	49	35	13	3	75	16	6	3
Ecuador	60	14	19	8	81	6	11	3
El Salvador	73	17	7	3	80	13	5	2
Guatemala	80	11	4	5	83	9	3	5
Honduras	57	31	9	4	74	18	7	2
Mexico	45	29	18	8	74	10	12	5
Nicaragua	53	31	11	6	75	14	7	4
Panama	49	38	10	3	79	18	1	1
Paraguay	47	41	6	6	60	25	10	5
Peru	52	20	18	9	79	8	6	7
Puerto Rico	41	17	30	12	60	13	19	8
Uruguay	17	51	26	6	45	35	17	4
Venezuela	36	39	19	5	77	13	7	3

	Catholics				Protestants
	Catholics			Protestants
	Catholics		Protestants
Country	% Morally wrong	% Morally acceptable	% Not a moral issue	% Unsure	% Morally wrong	% Morally acceptable	% Not a moral issue	% Unsure
Argentina	73	4	16	7	85	1	13	1
Bolivia	91	1	5	3	94	*	5	1
Brazil	89	1	9	1	97	1	2	0
Chile	67	4	19	10	78	2	14	7
Colombia	94	2	3	1	97	1	1	1
Costa Rica	94	2	3	1	95	2	3	*
Dominican Republic	98	1	1	*	98	*	2	1
Ecuador	88	1	7	4	96	*	3	1
El Salvador	96	2	2	*	96	1	3	*
Guatemala	98	*	1	1	99	*	1	*
Honduras	96	1	3	0	97	1	1	0
Mexico	78	4	13	6	80	4	9	7
Nicaragua	98	*	1	1	98	1	1	1
Panama	92	3	3	1	93	3	3	0
Paraguay	98	*	2	*	96	0	4	0
Peru	86	2	9	3	88	1	8	3
Puerto Rico	88	1	8	3	91	1	7	1
Uruguay	67	5	21	8	80	2	11	7
Venezuela	91	1	6	1	97	0	3	0

Source: Pew Research Center survey of 18 Latin American countries and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, based on more than 30,000 face-to-face interviews, conducted between October 2013 and February 2014, in Spanish, Portuguese and Guarani.

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