A new Wall Street Journal poll has uncovered a sharp decline in the number of Americans who say that patriotism, religious faith, and children are important to them.
In a 1998 poll, 70% of respondents said that patriotism was important, and 62% said the same about faith. This year those numbers plummeted to 38% and 39%, respectively. The poll found a similar drop in the number of Americans who gave high priority to raising children.
The decline was most notable among young adults, with only 31% saying that religion is important and 23% saying that having children is very important.