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Poll Findings: Religion's Great, But Not in Politics
NEW YORK, NY (January 10, 2001) - Most Americans believe religion can strengthen the moral fabric of American society, but they stop short of supporting the injection of religion into politics as a means of patching that fabric.
That is one of the conclusions drawn from a study by Public Agenda, a non-partisan, non-profit organization. The study found that respondents see religion as a positive force on a variety of levels.
Findings included:
- Volunteer and charity work will increase if more Americans become more religious (87%)
- Parents will do a better job raising their kids (85%)
- Crime will decrease (79%)
- There will be less greed or materialism (69%)
When asked how family values and morality factors can be influenced by religion, 69 percent said more religion is the best way to strengthen family values and moral behavior. In politics, however, respondents are still of the mind that there should be a separation of church and state.
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. In fact, two-thirds of all Americans were unable to name the religious affiliation of either George W. Bush or Al Gore. Overall, only 26 percent would like the news media to devote more attention to the religious backgrounds and beliefs of candidates running for elected office.
"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 of Public Agenda. "On the other hand, they believe religion has enormous power to elevate people's behavior and address many societal problems."
The survey also included these findings:
- 75 percent of those who consider themselves evangelical Christians - and 56 percent of
all respondents - think that too many journalists have a built-in bias against religion and religious people
- 61 percent of those who consider themselves evangelical Christians believe that deeply religious people should spread the word of God whenever they can. Only 26 percent of non-evangelicals feel this way
- 53 percent of all respondents thinks 'a moment of silence' is the best way to
deal with the issue of prayer in the classroom
- 61 percent think deeply religious people are being inconsiderate if they always bring up religion with others
- 63 percent think one should bring up religious beliefs "only with care" in social
situations, and 60 percent share that view in the work place
- 53 percent of those who consider themselves non-religious think too much is made about disagreements over religion's role in American society, two percentage points less than that of the general public
- 60 percent of the general public believe the idea of teachers talking about
personal religious beliefs with children in the classroom is inappropriate
Public Agenda is a New York City-based research organization founded in 1975 by former U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus R. Vance and Daniel Yankelovich, social scientist and author. The organization's mission is "to inform leaders about the public's views and to educate citizens about complex public policy issues."
The research summary For Goodness' Sake: Why So Many Want Religion to Play a Greater Role in American Life, was scheduled to be presented January 10 at a panel discussion in Washington, DC. The discussion was sponsored by the newly established Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The survey (more than 100 questions) is based on a nationwide telephone random sample of 1,507 American adults aged 18 years or older and various surveys of another 1,167 that included journalists, Christian leaders, and elected officials.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
