Hell in a handbasket

Results of Gallup’s latest poll on the moral values of the U.S. comes as no surprise. For the 15th time in as many years, a majority of respondents (73 percent) say they are getting worse. Who are the biggest pessimists? When broken down by political affiliation, Republicans and right-leaning independents (84 percent) are most likely to say moral values are declining. A majority of Democrats and left-leaning independents (61 percent) also think they’re sliding. Here’s a look at the two parties (and leaners) when asked to rank the overall state of moral values as “poor” (hint: Democrats are much more optimistic).