{"id":301100,"date":"2026-05-06T12:59:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-06T16:59:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?post_type=decoded&p=301100"},"modified":"2026-05-08T09:16:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T13:16:00","slug":"how-question-wording-affects-polling-on-the-morality-of-homosexuality","status":"publish","type":"decoded","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/decoded\/2026\/05\/06\/how-question-wording-affects-polling-on-the-morality-of-homosexuality\/","title":{"rendered":"How question wording affects polling on the morality of homosexuality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a>
Pew Research Center illustration.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Over the years, Pew Research Center has asked Americans about the morality of both \u201chomosexuality<\/a>\u201d and \u201chomosexual behavior<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some respondents might be expected to answer these two questions differently because their religious traditions differentiate between identifying as homosexual<\/em> and engaging in homosexual acts<\/em>. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, for example, condemns unjust discrimination against people who are lesbian or gay, saying they \u201cmust be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity<\/a>.\u201d But it also lists homosexual behavior among the \u201csins gravely contrary to chastity<\/a>,\u201d placing it in the same category as masturbation, sex outside of marriage and pornography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does this difference in wording affect Americans\u2019 responses to questions about the morality of same-sex relationships? We designed a survey experiment to find out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How we tested our question wording about homosexuality<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In a May 2025 survey, we asked 8,937 U.S. adults on our American Trends Panel<\/a> whether they view each of several behaviors<\/a> as morally acceptable, morally wrong or not a moral issue. We randomly assigned each respondent to receive one of two questions about homosexuality:<\/p>\n\n\n\n