Poll: 4 in 5 Britons Say U.K. in 'Moral Decline'

LONDON – A poll conducted for the British Broadcasting Corp.’s new The Big Questions show found that four in five people believe Britain is in moral decline.

According to the survey of 1,000 people, only nine percent disagreed that moral standards were falling, reports the BBC.

Religion still kept its place of importance, however, with 62 percent agreeing that religion was an important moral guide for the nation.

Only 29 percent disagreed that faith was important in shaping a nation’s morals.

The survey also tapped into people’s beliefs about anti-social behavior. It found that people were less likely to intervene if they saw someone behaving antisocially than if they saw a stranger who had collapsed.

While 93 percent of people said they would help a person who had collapsed in the street, only 61 percent said they would try to break up two children fighting, and only 32 percent said they would intervene if they saw teenagers spraying graffiti.

The survey was carried out by polling company ComRes on behalf of the BBC between Aug. 31 and Sept. 2.

It also found a generation difference in attitudes to religion. People between the ages of 16 and 24 were more likely than those in older age categories to agree that religion had a key role to play in guiding the nation’s morals, the survey found.

The Big Questions will broadcast on BBC One on Sunday at 10 a.m. BST.