Almost 9 in every 10 Americans consider birth control as 'highly acceptable,' survey shows

An illustration picture shows a woman holding a birth control pill.Reuters

Although some Christians are worried that it might lead to a culture of promiscuity especially among the youth, the use of condoms, pills and other contraceptives seems to be a non-issue for a huge number of Americans.

Almost nine in every 10 residents of the United States regard birth control as "highly acceptable," a recent survey by the research-based consulting company Gallup revealed.

"Birth control is the issue that the largest percentage of Americans approves of, with 89 percent deeming it morally acceptable," Gallup said in a statement posted on its website explaining the results of telephone interviews it conducted on 1,025 adults in the U.S. from May 4 to 8, 2016.

Although both parties expressed large acceptance for birth control, a smaller percentage of Republicans (87 percent) approve of contraception compared to Democrats (94 percent).

The respondents identified eight issues—most of which run counter to Christian teachings—as "largely acceptable."

Among these issues is divorce, which 72 percent of the survey respondents say is morally acceptable. On this issue, the gap across political lines is more evident: 67 percent of Republicans agree with divorce while 83 percent of Democrats support this way of ending marriages.

Another "largely acceptable" issue is sex between an unmarried man and woman, considered to be not problematic by 67 percent of Americans. The same percentage of respondents also consider gambling as acceptable.

Having a baby outside marriage is also considered as morally acceptable by 62 percent of the respondents. Sixty percent meanwhile view gay or lesbian relations, and medical research using stem cells obtained from human embryos, as tolerable.

Fifty-nine percent of the survey participants likewise say the death penalty, as well as buying and wearing clothes made of animal fur, ought to be allowed.

Four major issues remain "highly unacceptable"—suicide, polygamy, human cloning, and married men and women having an affair.