As the century draws to a close, the nation finds itself in a crisis of conscience. By an overwhelming 11-to-1 margin, those surveyed in the latest edition of The Shell Poll say societyfs standards for acceptable behavior are getting worse (66%) rather than better (6%). Adults over 50 (73% worse), southerners (70%), rural residents (72%), and the deeply religious (74%) register the highest levels of concern over declining standards of behavior.