Most Americans think prostitution is immoral, but are split on the question of legality


Poll results released by YouGov this morning find that Americans are almost evenly split on the question of whether prostitution should be illegal, with 44 percent supporting legalization and 46 percent opposing it. Respondents' opinions varied significantly by party affiliation, with Democrats more likely than Republicans or independents to back legal prostitution:
Asked whether prostitution is immoral, however, Americans are much less divided: Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) say it is wrong to hire a prostitute. Currently, all forms of prostitution are illegal in every state except Nevada, where some rural counties allow brothels (but not street solicitation). Prostitution is not regulated at the federal level.
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Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.
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