This essay challenges the popular narrative of American moral decline by weighing media-driven sensationalism against empirical social indicators. Drawing on sociological data related to volunteerism, charitable giving, divorce rates, alcohol consumption, and violent crime, the paper argues that national moral statistics have actually improved in recent decades rather than deteriorated. While high-profile scandals — such as the Enron accounting fraud and political sex scandals — fuel public anxiety, the author contends that these exceptional cases do not accurately represent the moral character of the broader population. The essay also raises the intriguing possibility that negative sensationalism may itself be spurring positive moral action among citizens.
Morality, like any other social issue, ebbs and flows through time in natural cycles. The degree of importance placed upon volunteerism, philanthropic giving, and child nurturing — as well as attitudes toward vices such as alcohol consumption, illicit drug use, and fornication in its traditional definition (coitus outside of wedlock) — depends on the moral standards being taught to youth at home, in schools, and in the community. Over the past two decades there has been a constant outcry regarding the potential moral decline of American culture, with many citing outrageous and exceptional acts of extremism by a few as evidence of a broader collapse.
Prominent examples fueling this narrative include the Enron accounting scandal, the Clinton sex scandal, rampant drug use, gang activity, and rising rates of unintended and out-of-wedlock births, among others. Yet many observers contend that such sensationalism — driven by the media and the moral right — feeds the idea that the nation is in some sort of spiraling moral freefall. It is argued that this portrayal vastly overstates the problem by elevating rare, extreme cases to the status of cultural norms (Lambro, 1998, p. 17). The Enron scandal, for instance, was a striking exception rather than a reflection of ordinary corporate or civic behavior.
The most recent counterargument holds that if one examines national statistics associated with consistent markers of moral behavior — such as volunteerism, divorce rates, charitable giving, alcohol consumption, and violent crime rates — the data tell a different story. Sociologists argue that the statistics do not lie: many of these indicators are actually better than they have been in years and will likely continue to improve (Lambro, 1998, p. 17). Viewing the moral state of the nation through this more realistic lens is essential, as it affirms that the efforts of those who have worked toward moral growth have not been in vain — regardless of how the media frames the issue. It also provides a corrective to the distorted picture created by focusing exclusively on high-profile scandals and exceptional misconduct.
"Fear of decline may spur positive moral action"
The reality is that, given well-defined terms of moral versus amoral behavior, the nation is currently populated with mostly moral, upstanding, and law-abiding citizens. Rather than a culture circling the drain, the evidence points to a society that — despite its very visible failures — continues to function according to broadly shared ethical standards. Those citizens deserve recognition and affirmation rather than the relentless doom-and-gloom sensationalism that dominates so much public discourse.
You’re 77% through this paper. Sign up to read the remaining 1 section.
Sign Up Now — Instant Access Already a member? Log inAlways verify citation format against your institution’s current style guide requirements.