Public Sees Religion’s Influence Waning [and much more]

Nearly three-quarters of the public (72%) now thinks religion is losing influence in American life, up 5 percentage points from 2010 to the highest level in Pew Research polling over the past decade...

The share of Americans who say churches and other houses of worship should express their views on social and political issues is up 6 points since the 2010 midterm elections (from 43% to 49%). ..

It finds a slight drop in support for allowing gays and lesbians to marry, with 49% of Americans in favor and 41% opposed – a 5-point dip in support from a February Pew Research poll, but about the same level as in 2013...

The new poll also finds that fully half (50%) of the public now considers homosexuality a sin, up from 45% a year ago.

large majorities of black Protestants, Jews and religiously unaffiliated voters continue to identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party. At the other end of the spectrum, white evangelical Protestant voters continue to be staunchly supportive of the GOP. Nearly three-quarters of white evangelicals identify with or lean toward the Republican Party, and a similar share say they would vote for the Republican congressional candidate in their district. ...

Among Republicans and those who lean toward the GOP, half or more say the party is not doing a good job representing their views on government spending, illegal immigration or same-sex marriage, and they are divided about whether the party is doing a good job representing their views on abortion. Democrats get better ratings from their partisans on all of these issues.

Evangelical Republicans who express discontent with the GOP would like to see it move in a more conservative direction on abortion, same-sex marriage and immigration, but non-evangelicals within the GOP are more conflicted over whether the party should move in a more conservative or a more liberal direction on these matters...

A larger share of the general public sees the Republican Party as friendly toward religion (47%) than sees the Democratic Party that way (29%).

A declining share of Americans see the Obama administration as friendly toward religion; 30% now say the Obama administration is friendly toward religion, down 7 points since 2009.

Roughly two-thirds of U.S. adults (65%) think gays and lesbians face a lot of discrimination in the U.S. today, and half or more say the same about Hispanics (50%), blacks (54%) and Muslims (59%). Fewer think that Jews (32%), evangelical Christians (31%), atheists (27%) and Catholics (19%) face a lot of discrimination today.

About a third of evangelical Christians (34%), including 42% of white evangelical Protestants, and one-in-five Catholics (18%) say it has become more difficult to be a member of their religious group in recent years...

Among Republicans and those who lean toward the Republican Party, nearly six-in-ten (59%) now say that churches should express their views on social and political issues, up 11 percentage points since 2010...

42% of Democrats and those who lean Democratic say churches should express their political views, while 55% say churches should keep out of politics.

Two-thirds of white evangelical Protestants (66%) now express support for having churches speak out on social and political issues, up from 56% in 2010. Nearly six-in-ten black Protestants (58%) also say churches should express their political views, as do roughly half of Catholics (48%) and white mainline Protestants (49%)...

Most white evangelical Protestants (68%) [and 40% of white Catholics] say there has been too little expression of religious faith and prayer by political leaders...

Most Americans continue to oppose the idea of churches endorsing particular candidates during political elections, with roughly twice as many people saying churches should not do this as saying they should (63% vs. 32%)...

Most people who identify with a religion, ranging from 83% of white evangelicals to 59% of white Catholics, say it is important for members of Congress to have strong religious beliefs...

As in previous surveys, most people who say religion is losing its influence in American life see this as a negative development, with 56% of the public as a whole saying it is a “bad thing” that religion is losing sway in the U.S. The concern is most pronounced among white evangelical Protestants, 77% of whom say religion is losing influence and that this is a bad thing, but is shared by majorities of white mainline Protestants (66%), black Protestants (65%) and Catholics (61%)...

Roughly half of adults (47%) think the Republican Party is friendly toward religion, with 30% saying the GOP is neutral toward religion and 15% saying it is unfriendly toward religion. Far fewer (29%) see the Democratic Party as friendly toward religion, with 39% describing the Democratic Party as neutral toward religion and 25% describing it as unfriendly toward religion...

The share of Republicans rating the administration as unfriendly toward religion has risen by 22 percentage points since 2009...

Among both white evangelicals and white Catholics, the administration’s “unfriendly” ratings have increased by 19 percentage points since 2009...

Nearly six-in-ten Americans (59%) say they think Muslims face a lot of discrimination in the U.S. today. Far fewer think other religious groups – including Jews (32%), evangelical Christians (31%), atheists (27%) and Catholics (19%) – face a lot of discrimination..

Among religious groups, fully half of white evangelical Protestants (50%) say evangelical Christians face a lot of discrimination compared with 31% of the public overall saying this. And 33% of Catholics say there is a lot of anti-Catholic discrimination (compared with 19% of Americans overall who say this).

Additionally, eight-in-ten African Americans (82%) say there is a lot of discrimination against blacks, compared with 61% of Hispanics and 47% of whites who say this. Seven-in-ten Hispanics (71%) say there is a lot of anti-Hispanic discrimination (as do 64% of blacks), but just 42% of whites agree.

...nearly three-quarters of Catholics (73%) say the ease or difficulty of being Catholic in American society has not changed much in recent years. By comparison, evangelicals are less sanguine about their position in American society, with one-third (34%) saying it has become more difficult to be an evangelical Christian in the U.S.

Consistent with this, three-in-ten white evangelical Protestants say they think of themselves as a religious minority because of their religious beliefs. One-quarter of black Protestants (26%) say the same. Fewer Catholics (13%) and white mainline Protestants (10%) say they consider themselves religious minorities.

...more Republicans say the GOP is not doing a good job representing their views on government spending, illegal immigration and same-sex marriage than say the Republican Party is doing a good job on these issues. Republicans are divided over whether the party is doing a good job representing their views on abortion (44% say it is doing a good job, 45% say it is not)...

Roughly half of Republicans and those who lean toward the GOP (48%) say the party is not willing enough to cut government spending, while only 8% say it is too willing to make cuts...

Republicans are more divided over the direction they would like to see the GOP take on abortion and same-sex marriage. About a quarter (24%) say the GOP is not doing a good job representing their views on abortion because it is too liberal (in that it is not sufficiently willing to restrict abortion), while 19% say the GOP is too conservative on this issue (because it is too willing to restrict abortion).

On the issue of same-sex marriage, 22% of Republicans say the GOP is too liberal (i.e., too willing to accept same-sex marriage), while 28% say it is too conservative (not willing enough to accept same-sex marriage).

...one-third of white evangelical Protestant Republicans (34%) [and 25% of Catholics] say their party is not willing enough to put restrictions on abortion, while just 7% say the party is too willing to restrict abortion...

Similarly, most evangelical Republicans who are dissatisfied with the GOP’s handling of same-sex marriage say the party is too liberal ([37% and 15% of Catholics say the GOP is] too willing to accept same-sex marriage). By contrast, among non-evangelical Republicans who express dissatisfaction with the party’s position on same-sex marriage, opinion leans in the opposite direction, with more saying the party is too conservative than saying it is too liberal...

White evangelical Protestants continue to identify predominantly with the Republican Party; 72% identify with or lean toward the Republican Party, up slightly compared with 2010 (when 69% sided with the GOP).

At the other end of the spectrum, black Protestants continue to identify strongly with the Democratic Party, though this share has ticked down slightly from 88% in 2010 to 84% today...

White Catholics identify with or lean toward the Republican Party more than the Democratic Party (53% vs. 39% in 2014). By contrast, Hispanic Catholics [which make 34 percent of all Catholics] are more than twice as likely to favor the Democratic Party than the Republican Party...

Half (49%) [of Americans] say that wedding-related businesses should be required to provide services to same-sex couples just as they would to all other customers, while 47% say that these businesses should be allowed to refuse services to same-sex couples for religious reasons.

Among religious groups, white evangelical Protestants express the strongest support for allowing businesses to refuse to provide services for same-sex weddings (71%). At the other end of the spectrum, majorities of Hispanic Catholics (64%) and the religiously unaffiliated (61%) say businesses should be required to provide wedding services for same-sex couples, as do 59% of black Protestants. White Catholics and white mainline Protestants are more evenly split on this question...

Polling and Analysis September 22, 2014 Public Sees Religion’s Influence Waning Section 3: Social & Political Issues Homosexuality and Same-Sex Marriage

Public Split on Requiring Wedding-Related Businesses to Provide Services for Same-Sex WeddingsThe public is evenly divided over whether businesses that provide wedding services, like catering or flowers, should be required to provide services to same-sex couples despite religious objections to same-sex marriage. Half (49%) say that wedding-related businesses should be required to provide services to same-sex couples just as they would to all other customers, while 47% say that these businesses should be allowed to refuse services to same-sex couples for religious reasons.

More men than women say that businesses should be allowed to refuse services for same-sex weddings for religious reasons (52% vs. 42%), and whites (52%) are more likely than either blacks (36%) or Hispanics (35%) to say the same. There is also a large generation gap on this issue. Most Americans ages 65 and older (60%) say that wedding-related businesses should be able to decline to provide services for same-sex weddings, while most adults under the age of 30 (62%) take the opposite view, saying that businesses should be required to provide services for same-sex weddings. Those between the ages of 30 and 64 are evenly divided on this question.

Is Homosexual Behavior Sinful?The survey also finds a close link between views of whether homosexual behavior is a sin and requiring businesses to provide services for same-sex weddings. Among those who say homosexual behavior is a sin, six-in-ten say that businesses should not be required to provide services for same-sex weddings. But among those who say homosexual behavior is not a sin, two-thirds say businesses should be required to service same-sex weddings.

The number of people [overall] who view homosexual behavior as sinful has ticked up in the past year, from 45% in 2013 to 50% in the current poll...

The current poll finds 49% of the public expressing support for same-sex marriage and 41% expressing opposition. Three-quarters of white evangelical Protestants [and 38% of white and 29% of Hispanic Catholics] oppose same-sex marriage. By contrast, three-quarters of the religiously unaffiliated support allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally. There is also more support than opposition to same-sex marriage among Catholics [50%] and white mainline Protestants [57%]...

Nearly eight-in-ten Republicans and those who lean toward the GOP (78%) say they prefer a smaller government that provides fewer services. Most Democrats express the opposite view, with 62% saying they prefer a bigger government that provides more services.

Among religious groups, majorities of white evangelicals (70%), white Catholics (61%) and white mainline Protestants (56%) prefer a smaller government, while Hispanic Catholics (72%) and black Protestants (65%) prefer a bigger government...

About two-thirds of Democrats and those who lean Democratic (65%) say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while among Republicans and those who lean toward the GOP, 52% say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases and 44% say abortion should be mostly legal.

Among religious groups, white evangelical Protestants express the strongest opposition to abortion; two-thirds [66% and 42% of white and Hispanic Catholics] say it should be illegal in all or most cases.

By contrast, three-quarters of religious “nones” (75%) say that abortion should be legal in all or most cases, as do two-thirds of white mainline Protestants (65%). Catholics and black Protestants are more evenly split on this issue...

“Barry Lynn ACLU types would likely call that foul ball (Baal).”

I think they are VERY careful not to discuss religion. Sad - but is the reality today. But as I said, they let God show through them.

It is in Washington State - where a few posts ago was ranked 2nd to last in religion playing a major part of your life poll (54%).

Our pastor has a mock magazine cover with a picture of the city and the title something along the lines of “God’s Country”.

But it is cool that the teachers, city, etc. is all in. Passing grades have gone from 35% to 76% for minorities, detentions have gone from 1,740 to 379 in one middle school, etc.

The States (including District of Columbia) with the highest concentrations of homosexual households in the year 2000 (which comprise less than 1% of all households) were	A revised estimate based on the 2010 census ranks the 10 highest concentrations in States (not including District of Columbia, which was was highest at 1.172) as follows	The same table shows the states with the lowest concentrations of homosexual households as follows
1. District of Columbia	1. Rhode Island 0.885	1. Wyoming 0.175
2. New Hampshire	2. Massachusetts 0.829	2. South Dakota 0.181
3. Washington	3. Hawaii 0.779	3. Mississippi 0.258
4. Massachusetts	4. Maine 0.774	4. North Dakota 0.292
5. Maine	5. California 0.726	5. Alaska 0.295
6. California	6. New Mexico 0.701	6. Alabama 0.300
7. Colorado	7. Vermont 0.697	7. Idaho 0.315
8. Vermont	8. Connecticut 0.672	8. South Carolina 0.318
9. New Mexico	9. Arizona 0.649	9. Kansas 0.330
10. Minnesota	10. Washington 0.632	10. Arkansas 0.360

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Woe to those shepherds!