The poll, funded by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and conduced by the University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center (NORC), shows major declines in traditional values like patriotism, religion, and community in America.
According to the survey, 38% of Americans say patriotism is "very important" to them, down from 70% who said the same in 1998. Slightly more Americans (39%) place the same importance on religion, down from 62% who said faith was "very important" to them 25 years ago. The percentage of Americans who say raising children is "very important" fell to 30%, down from 59% in 1998. The share of Americans who value involvement in their community as "very important" has fallen to 27% — down from a high of 62% in 2019, which was the last time the question was posed. [See graph below]
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Meanwhile, the New York Post notes that "one virtue long associated with liberals, a belief in tolerance for others, is now deemed very important by 58% of Americans — down from 80% four years ago."
In response, author and Pastor Ray Pritchard of Keep Believing Ministries recently told American Family Radio that believers ought to be concerned and respond accordingly.
"This is, to me, the last step before society descends into total moral chaos," he said. "It just tells you how big the trouble is in our society. What we always took to be the moral foundation of America is unraveling, has unraveled before our very eyes."
Pritchard went on to warn that when a culture decides it does not need God anymore, things do not get better; they only get worse.
"We are in a spiritual battle," the pastor asserts. "It goes beyond politics. It goes beyond Republicans and Democrats and who's going to be in the White House, even beyond who's going to be on the Supreme Court. It is a spiritual battle for the soul of this nation, and right now, the darkness has become very powerful indeed."
Pritchard says Christians must understand that "we're going to have to fight this beginning … on our knees, crying out to God."
