研究发现年龄与宗教信仰影响人们对道德自我的认知

圣母大学研究团队与学生联合开展了一项调查，探讨美国成年人如何看待自己与理想道德人格的距离。该研究于2025年8月通过Qualtrics平台对557名受访者进行了问卷调查，由圣母大学Sorin Fellows Program grant资助。1

调查数据显示，年龄是影响道德自我认知的显著因素。1在年轻受访者中，38%认为自己距离理想道德人格尚远；相比之下，中年人中这一比例为28%，而55岁以上人群仅为14%。1实际上，55岁以上人群中约50%表示自己已非常接近或已达到理想人格。1

尽管年长者对自己的道德状况更为满意，但他们在自我改善的实际行动上投入更多——每天努力改进品格的55岁以上人群比年轻人多11个百分点。1然而，年长者反思自身行为的频率反而较低。1

宗教信仰也与道德反思密切相关。1在宗教活跃人士（至少每月参加宗教活动）中，53%表示自己多数时间或总是反思自身行为，而非宗教人士这一比例仅为27%。1不过这种宗教与反思之间的关联在年长群体中消退——年长无宗教信仰者中，接近60%认为自己已相当接近或达到理想人格，而同龄宗教活跃者仅为47%。1

Researchers from the University of Notre Dame conducted a survey of 557 adults in August 2025 to examine how close people feel to their ideal moral character 1. The study, funded by Notre Dame's Sorin Fellows Program grant and conducted through the Qualtrics platform, found a striking age divide in moral self-assessment 1.

Among younger adults, 38 percent believed they remained far from their moral ideal, compared to just 14 percent of those aged 55 and older 1. Conversely, approximately 50 percent of older respondents reported feeling very close to or having already achieved their ideal moral self 1. Despite this greater satisfaction with their moral progress, older adults reported reflecting on their behavior less frequently than younger people, even though 11 percentage points more of them reported making daily efforts to improve their character 1.

Religious belief also shaped moral reflection patterns, though this effect diminished with age 1. Among religiously active participants—those attending religious services at least monthly—53 percent reported reflecting on their behavior most of the time or always, compared to just 27 percent of non-religious respondents 1. However, among older adults without religious affiliation, approximately 60 percent felt close to or had achieved their moral ideal, while only 47 percent of religiously active older adults reported the same level of satisfaction 1.