12/02/2019

Americans Have Positive Views About Religion’s Role in Society

But most want it out of politics

A large majority of Americans feel that religion is losing influence in public life, according to a 2019 Pew Research Center survey. While some say this is a good thing, many more view it as a negative development, reflecting the broad tendency of Americans to see religion as a positive force in society.

At the same time, U.S. adults are resoundingly clear in their belief that religious institutions should stay out of politics. Nearly two-thirds of Americans in the new survey say churches and other houses of worship should keep out of political matters, while 36 percent say they should express their views on day-to-day social and political questions. And three-quarters of the public expresses the view that churches should not come out in favor of one candidate over another during elections, in contrast with efforts by President Donald Trump to roll back existing legal limits on houses of worship endorsing candidates.

In addition, Americans are more likely to say that churches and other houses of worship currently have too much influence in politics (37 percent) rather than too little (28 percent), while the remaining one-third (34 percent) say religious groups’ current level of influence on politics is about right.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Pew Research Center.