NEW YORK -- As a new president and Congress prepare to take office, a major national survey released today reveals that most Americans are wary about injecting religion into politics. Fifty-eight percent of the general public believe it is wrong for voters to seriously consider the religious affiliation of candidates when they decide whom to support, according to the survey by nonpartisan, nonprofit Public Agenda. Approximately two-thirds of all Americans were unable to name the religious affiliation of either George W. Bush or Al Gore.
About six in ten feel that even deeply religious elected officials should be willing to compromise with elected officials whose views are different when they vote on abortion, the death penalty or gay rights. But about half of evangelical Christians feel that when deeply religious elected officials vote on such controversial issues, they should vote based on their own religious views.
Religion in Politics, Public Schools, and Social Settings
The comprehensive study-comprised of over 100 questions-probes how typical Americans think about religion in politics, the schools, and social settings. It measures the views of the general public which would include individuals of all faiths as well as nonbelievers. The survey also reports on the views of several important subgroups: evangelical Christians, Catholics, Jews, and nonreligious Americans. For Goodness' Sake: Why So Many Want Religion to Play a Greater Role in American Life was conducted with the support of The Pew Charitable Trusts. It will be presented January 10th at a panel discussion convening at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, sponsored by the newly established Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.
A majority of Americans recoil at the use of religion as a litmus test and have an almost instinctive wariness of injecting religion directly into politics or putting their own faith on a pedestal above others, says Deborah Wadsworth, President, Public Agenda. On the other hand, they believe religion has enormous power to elevate people's behavior and address many societal problems.
Showing optimism about the capacity of religion to improve contemporary society, 87% feel volunteer and charity work would increase if more Americans become more religious, 85% feel parents would do a better job of raising their kids, 79% believe that crime would decrease, and 69% feel there would be less greed or materialism.
Faith-based Charities and Government
Regarding the role of faith-based charities participating in government programs, 44% believe it is a good idea for government to increase the funding of religious groups and churches that offer programs to help drug addicts and the homeless, even if these programs promote religious messages. Another 23% think this is a good idea, but only if the programs stay away from religious messages. Nearly a third (31%) say it is a bad idea for the government to fund religious organizations. According to Melissa Rogers, Executive Director of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, President-elect Bush has highlighted the issue of cooperation between religious institutions and the government in an unprecedented way. It will become increasingly important for policy makers to understand this issue and the opinions that animate it.
The panel sponsored by The Pew Forum on January 10th will be moderated by Co-Chair E. J. Dionne. Speakers will include: Deborah Wadsworth, President, Public Agenda; Steve Farkas, Director of Research and Senior Vice President, Public Agenda; Andrew Kohut, Director, The Pew Center for People and the Press; Rev. Eugene Rivers 3rd, Co-chair National TenPoint Leadership Foundation; Michael J. Sandel, Professor of Government, Harvard University; and Matthew Spalding, Director Lectures and Educational Programs, The Heritage Foundation.
School Prayer versus a Moment of Silence
Although many surveys have shown support for school prayer, Public Agenda took this question one step further by giving people a range of options to consider. Pitting explicitly religious choices against a moment of silence, just 6% of the general public support a Christian prayer that refers to Jesus (12% of evangelical Christians support this option). One in five (20%) of the general public prefers a prayer that refers to God but no specific religion (26% of evangelical Christians agree). In contrast, 53% of Americans think a moment of silence is the best way to deal with prayer in the classroom (53% of evangelical Christians support this option).
Some Are More Wary. While the general public prefers a moment of silence, Jews and nonreligious Americans feel differently. Sixty percent of Jews and 56% of nonreligious individuals prefer that schools avoid both prayer and a moment of silence (only 19% of the general public agree). The survey shows, in addition, that most Jews and nonreligious Americans are more likely to believe school prayer violates the Constitution and the idea of separation of church and state.
Discretion and Tact in Social and Workplace Settings
The study also covered Americans' attitudes about religion in social and workplace settings. Sixty-one percent of the general public agree that deeply religious people are being inconsiderate if they always bring up religion when they deal with other people.
Most of the public (63%) believe people should bring up their religious beliefs only with care when they are with friends at a social occasion such as a party, while another 22% say it is best to avoid the topic altogether (14% say it is almost always appropriate to bring up at a social occasion).
Six in ten (60%) say people should bring up their religious beliefs at their workplace with coworkers only with care, while another 30% say it is best to avoid it altogether (only 9% think it is almost always appropriate to bring up at work).
Distinctive Views
The Public Agenda study is unusual in providing a special focus on evangelical Christians, Jews, and nonreligious Americans. These groups often have distinctive viewpoints.
Evangelical Christians. Six in ten evangelical Christians (61%) believe that deeply religious people should spread the word of God whenever they can (only 26% of nonevangelicals feel this way). Over half (53%) of evangelical Christians call their religious faith the most important influence in their life compared to only 20% of nonevangelicals. Despite their desire for deeply religious elected officials to stand by their religious principles, evangelical Christians (79%) are almost as likely as nonevangelicals (86%) to agree that even deeply religious officials sometimes have to make compromises to get results while in government. The study also found that evangelical Christians often sense some disrespect from other Americans: 68% believe that there is a lot of prejudice in America towards them.
Jews. The study's results suggest that Jews are more wary about an increase of religion in the country's life. Perhaps partly because of their past, 80% of Jews agree that even in America, Jews have to be on guard because anti-Semitism could always become a powerful force here (55% of the general public agree). Their beliefs also reflect a concern about protecting their unique culture and traditions: 64% of Jews say that maintaining a Jewish identity is a constant struggle for Jews living in America.
Nonreligious Americans. The study found that nonreligious Americans express more concern about being accepted in a society where religious worship and affiliation are widespread. Sixty-eight percent of nonreligious people-compared with 52% in the general public-anticipate less tolerance for unconventional lifestyles if many more Americans were to become deeply religious. But the study also suggests that perhaps they are not feeling under threat right now. Fifty-three percent of nonreligious Americans-compared with 55% of the general public-think that too much is made about disagreements over religion's role in American society.
When it comes to religion, cautions Ms. Wadsworth, Americans won't be boxed into political or ideological categories nor do they fit into one-size-fits-all spiritual blocs. They believe fervently that religion is important and are disturbed at civil libertarians who appear to them to be busily eradicating religion from every sector of American life. But neither do they give much comfort to those who would inject an intrusive, judgmental faith into the public sphere, invoking the public's name for their own purposes.
For Goodness' Sake was written by Steve Farkas, Jean Johnson and Tony Foleno, with Ann Duffett and Patrick Foley. Copies of the full text can be downloaded at no charge from Public Agenda Online (www.publicagenda.org) until January 31, 2001. Data charts, a video, and other materials will also be on the Web site. Print copies are available from Public Agenda for $10, plus $2 shipping and handling.
Methodology: For Goodness' Sake is based on a nationwide random sample telephone survey of 1,507 American adults aged 18 years or older, plus oversamples of 208 nonreligious and 200 Jewish adults, and a nationwide mail survey of 219 journalists, 286 Christian leaders and 254 elected officials. The telephone survey took place between November 4 and November 25, 2000. The margin of error for the 1,507 members of the general public is +/- 3 percentage points; the margin of error is higher in comparisons of percentages across subgroups. The surveys were preceded by seven focus groups conducted in sites across the country as well as consultations with experts on the topic of religion and public life.
Public Agenda, located in New York City, is well respected for its influential public opinion polls and its balanced citizen education materials. Founded in 1975 by Cyrus R. Vance, the former U.S. secretary of state, and Daniel Yankelovich, the social scientist and author, its mission is to inform leaders about the public's views and to inform citizens about government policy.
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