The Daily Note with James A. Brown · James A. Brown

53% of Americans Think Their Neighbors Are Morally Bad — We're the Only Country That Does

March 14, 2026·11 min·1 clip

53% of Americans told researchers their fellow citizens have bad morals, making the US the only country among 25 surveyed with this majority view.

The episode opens with James A. Brown introducing the show's format of slowing down news to ask better questions about America. He presents the top line statistic: 53% of Americans think their neighbors have bad morals. Brown explains this data comes from a Pew Research survey of over 30,000 people across 25 countries on every continent. He notes that in 24 of those countries, more people said their fellow citizens have good morals than bad, with examples like Canada (92%), Indonesia (similar high percentage), Mexico (about 80%), United Kingdom (82%), Germany (70s%), and Israel (68%). Brown emphasizes the US is the outlier with a majority negative view. He details the survey's wording, which asked whether people in the country have good morals and ethics or bad ones, framing it as a character judgment. Brown points out that no one said this about themselves—only about others. He asks listeners to consider the people they encounter daily, from coffee makers to coworkers, and how this judgment applies. Brown observes that Americans live, work, and depend on these same neighbors while holding this negative view. He mentions Pew has never asked this question before, so historical trends are unknown. Brown then presents his thesis: Americans were 'sold a story' and bought it, with the 53% statistic as the receipt. He argues cultural insularity leads to not knowing who is truly around us, fostering fear and faulty conclusions. Brown links this to increasingly divisive politics and fractured culture, suggesting lack of interaction with the world drives these moral assessments. The episode concludes with a promise to explore these consequences further.

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