{"id":198696,"date":"2025-02-26T06:09:14","date_gmt":"2025-02-26T11:09:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?p=198696"},"modified":"2025-10-28T14:49:28","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T18:49:28","slug":"religious-landscape-study-religions-role-in-public-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/religious-landscape-study-religions-role-in-public-life\/","title":{"rendered":"22. Religion\u2019s role in public life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On balance, U.S. adults are more likely to view religion as helpful than as harmful: 44% say religion does more good than harm, while 19% say it does more harm than good. About one-third think it does equal amounts of good and harm.[80. numoffset=&#8221;80&#8243; This question was not asked in the earlier landscape studies. It was asked in a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2023\/12\/07\/spirituality-among-americans\/\">2022 survey<\/a> focused on spirituality among Americans. In that survey, 40% of respondents said religion does more good than harm in society, 37% said it does equal amounts of good and harm, and 21% said it does more harm than good.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=199274\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e3e9e7\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e3e9e7;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-01.png?resize=480,242 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-01.png?resize=782,395 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-01.png?resize=840,424 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"212\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-01.png?w=840\" alt=\"Bar chart showing 44% of Americans think religion does more good than harm\" class=\"wp-image-199274 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What, specifically, do Americans think are some of the helpful and harmful effects of organized religion? The survey asked respondents whether they agree or disagree with six statements \u2013 three positive and three negative \u2013 about churches and other religious organizations. Majorities agree with each of the six statements, but higher shares agree with the positive ones:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>80% agree that churches and other religious organizations bring people together and strengthen community bonds.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>78% agree that they play an important role in helping the poor and needy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>64% agree that they protect and strengthen morality in society.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Smaller majorities agree with the negative statements:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>59% of Americans agree that churches and other religious organizations are too concerned with money and power.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>54% agree that they focus too much on rules.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>54% agree that they are too involved with politics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=199275\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e3e9e7\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e3e9e7;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-02.png?resize=480,251 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-02.png?resize=782,408 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-02.png?resize=960,501 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-02.png?resize=1200,626 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-02.png?resize=1280,668 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"334\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-02.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Bar chart showing Americans say religious institutions play positive roles, but most also see negative qualities\" class=\"wp-image-199275 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When these questions are combined in a scale, the results indicate that Americans are more likely to voice positive opinions about religious institutions than to voice negative ones.[81. This analysis is limited to respondents who answer at least four questions from the six-question scale. Agreeing with the following statements were considered positive views: \u201cBring people together and strengthen community bonds,\u201d \u201cPlay an important role in helping the poor and needy\u201d and \u201cProtect and strengthen morality in society.\u201d Agreeing with the following statements were considered negative views: \u201cAre too concerned with money and power,\u201d \u201cFocus too much on rules\u201d and \u201cAre too involved with politics.\u201d Those who agreed with more positive than negative statements are categorized as having a positive view of religion, while those agreeing with more negative than positive statements are categorized as having a negative view. People who express an equal number of positive and negative views are coded as holding mixed views.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=199276\"><img data-dominant-color=\"dfe5e5\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #dfe5e5;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-03.png?resize=480,451 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-03.png?resize=782,735 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-03.png?resize=840,790 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"395\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-03.png?w=840\" alt=\"Bar chart showing 51% of Americans express mostly positive opinions about religious institutions, 29% mostly negative\" class=\"wp-image-199276 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, 51% of Americans express positive views of churches and other religious organizations, while 29% express negative views. The remainder hold mixed views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We also asked these questions about religious institutions in the 2014 Religious Landscape Study. <strong>Compared with 2014, Americans now express <em>less positive<\/em> views of churches and other religious organizations.<\/strong>[82. The 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study (RLS) was conducted mainly online and on paper, whereas the 2014 RLS was conducted by live interviewers on the telephone. This \u201cmode switch\u201d makes it complicated to draw comparisons between the new survey and the previous survey, because respondents sometimes answer questions differently when speaking with an interviewer than they do when participating in a survey online or on paper. To help assess the impact of the mode switch, we conducted a \u201cbridge study\u201d by telephone alongside the main RLS. The questions used in this scale are coded as \u201cyellow\u201d questions \u2013 the results from the new survey can be cautiously compared with the previous survey. Refer to <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/appendix-a-comparing-results-across-religious-landscape-studies\/\">Appendix A<\/a> for additional details about the impact of the mode switch on the survey\u2019s findings.] The share of U.S. adults who express a very or somewhat positive view of religious institutions has declined from 63% in 2014 to 51% today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new survey also included a series of questions about separation of church and state, asking whether the federal government should declare the United States a Christian nation, whether teachers should be allowed to lead prayers in public schools and whether municipalities should be allowed to display religious symbols on government property. We do not have clear historical trends on these questions, because we have asked them in different ways over the years, and the results depend greatly on the exact wording of the questions and response options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Jump to findings on how religious groups answered questions about:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#views-on-whether-religion-does-more-good-than-harm-in-american-society\">Whether religion does more good than harm<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#positive-and-negative-statements-about-religious-institutions\">Positive and negative statements about religious institutions<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#religion-and-public-life\">Religion and public life<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;views-on-whether-religion-does-more-good-than-harm-in-american-society&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"views-on-whether-religion-does-more-good-than-harm-in-american-society\">Views on whether religion does more good than harm in American society<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A little more than half of Americans who identify with a religion (56%) see religion as doing more good than harm in society. Just 10% of religiously affiliated adults say it does more harm than good, and about a third say it does equal amounts of good and harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-310-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=199277\"><img data-dominant-color=\"efefef\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #efefef;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-04.png?resize=480,957 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-04.png?resize=620,1236 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"618\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-04.png?w=514\" alt=\"Table showing religiously unaffiliated adults are most likely to say religion does more harm than good in the U.S.\" class=\"wp-image-199277 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In contrast, just 16% of religiously unaffiliated adults (those who answer a question about their religion by saying they are atheist, agnostic or \u201cnothing in particular\u201d) take the position that religion does more good than harm. Most of the unaffiliated say that it does more harm than good (40%) or that it does equal amounts of good and harm (43%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among Christians, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (widely known as Mormons) and evangelical Protestants are most strongly inclined to say religion does more good than harm (72% and 68%, respectively). Smaller shares of Catholics, mainline Protestants, people who identify with the historically Black Protestant tradition and Orthodox Christians take this view. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hindus (33%), Jews (32%) and Buddhists (31%) are less likely than people in other religious groups to think that religion does more good than harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;positive-and-negative-statements-about-religious-institutions&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"positive-and-negative-statements-about-religious-institutions\">Positive and negative statements about religious institutions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Large majorities of the public say religious organizations help bring people together and strengthen community bonds (80%) and that religious institutions play an important role in helping the poor and needy (78%). Additionally, 64% of U.S. adults say religious organizations help protect and strengthen morality in society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even among religiously unaffiliated adults, 67% say religious organizations help bring people together and 61% say religious organizations play a key role in helping the poor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the same time, many people also think religious organizations have some negative attributes. Six-in-ten Americans \u2013 including 78% of religiously unaffiliated adults \u2013 say religious organizations are too focused on money and power. And slightly more than half of U.S. adults say religious organizations focus too much on rules and are too involved with politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=199278\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f1f2f2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f1f2f2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-05.png?resize=480,453 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-05.png?resize=782,738 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-05.png?resize=960,906 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-05.png?resize=1200,1133 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-05.png?resize=1280,1208 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"604\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-05.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Table showing most Americans agree that religious organizations do good things in society, but many also think religious organizations do some negative things\" class=\"wp-image-199278 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>When we combine these questions into a scale, it shows that 51% of U.S. adults express a positive view of religion \u2013<\/strong> i.e., they agree with more positive statements about religious organizations than negative statements. That is 12 percentage points lower than in 2014, when 63% of U.S. adults expressed a positive view of religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, the share of people who agree with more negative than positive statements about religion has increased by 11 points since 2014, from 18% to 29%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These changes reflect, in part, drops in the shares expressing positive views about religion among most Christian subgroups, including Catholics, mainline Protestants and people who identify with historically Black Protestant churches. Evangelical Protestants are an exception, with a relatively stable share expressing net positive views of churches and other religious organizations (78% in 2014, 75% in the new RLS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jews, Muslims and Hindus also have become less positive in their views of religious institutions. And among religiously unaffiliated adults, the share expressing net positive views has dropped 17 points, from 40% in 2014 to 23% in the new survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=199279\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f4f4f4\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f4f4f4;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-06.png?resize=480,506 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-06.png?resize=782,824 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-06.png?resize=960,1011 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-06.png?resize=1200,1264 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-06.png?resize=1280,1348 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"674\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-06.png?w=972\" alt=\"Table showing overall balance of perceptions about religious institutions has shifted in the U.S.\" class=\"wp-image-199279 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;religion-and-public-life&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"religion-and-public-life\">Religion and public life<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"declaring-the-u-s-a-christian-nation\">Declaring the U.S. a Christian nation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Americans are about evenly divided on whether the federal government should declare the U.S. a Christian nation, with 47% either favoring or <em>strongly<\/em> favoring the idea and 50% either opposing or <em>strongly<\/em> opposing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=199280\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f1f1f1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f1f1f1;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-07.png?resize=480,662 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-07.png?resize=782,1078 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-07.png?resize=840,1158 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"579\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-07.png?w=743\" alt=\"Table showing nearly half of evangelicals strongly favor the government declaring the U.S. a Christian nation\" class=\"wp-image-199280 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Among religious groups, this idea is most widely supported by evangelical Protestants, 78% of whom say that they favor or strongly favor the federal government declaring the U.S. a Christian nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About two-thirds of Latter-day Saints and six-in-ten members of historically Black Protestant churches also take this position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-survey-question-wording-response-options-can-affect-answers\">How survey question wording, response options can affect answers<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the years, we have asked Americans many questions about how much influence religion should have in U.S. public life. This includes several questions asking, in various ways, whether religion (and Christianity, in particular) should hold a privileged status in society and play a special role in shaping U.S. laws and policies. We\u2019ve learned that response patterns vary considerably on these questions depending on their specific wording and structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One factor influencing how people respond to questions about the separation of church and state (or, looked at from another direction, the integration of religion and public life) is that Americans often have widely differing understandings of what being \u201ca Christian nation\u201d or promoting \u201cChristian values\u201d would entail, in practical terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new RLS asked Americans if they favor or oppose the federal government declaring the U.S. a \u201cChristian nation,\u201d but it did not ask those who favor it to elaborate on what they mean by Christian nation. However, in <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2022\/10\/27\/views-of-the-u-s-as-a-christian-nation-and-opinions-about-christian-nationalism\/\">a 2022 survey<\/a>, we asked Americans if the U.S. \u201cshould be a Christian nation,\u201d and then we asked a follow-up question: \u201cIn your own words, what does the phrase \u2018Christian nation\u2019 mean to you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While some respondents defined Christian nation as a country where laws are based on Christian tenets and leaders are Christian, a much more common response was that a Christian nation involves people being broadly guided by Christian values or belief in God, even if the laws are not explicitly, or exclusively, Christian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Furthermore, Americans who said the U.S. should<em> not<\/em> be a Christian nation often envisioned a Christian nation as a theocracy in which the government makes laws and policies based directly on Christian teachings. But those who said the U.S. <em>should<\/em> be a Christian nation tended to reject the idea of a theocracy and, rather, envisioned a country where most people are Christians and\/or where people have good morals and treat each other well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another factor influencing responses to these types of questions is that, in general, when respondents are given the option to say they have no opinion or that neither of the two options provided represents their views, <em>smaller<\/em> shares favor integrating religion into public life than is the case when there is no \u201cneutral\u201d option. In other words, many Americans choose not to take a clear stance on church-state relations if they can opt out of doing so in a survey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When questions do <em>not<\/em> offer a \u201cneutral\u201d option and respondents must choose between stances that either clearly favor or clearly oppose church-state integration, <em>larger<\/em> shares favor the integration of religion and public life. Put differently, when forced to choose between the privileging of Christianity in public life versus Christianity having no special status, respondents who would otherwise say they have no opinion or no preference (if given that choice) may lean toward saying Christianity should have special status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, in March 2021, when we asked Americans to pick which of two statements they agreed with more, just 15% selected \u201cThe federal government should declare the United States a Christian nation,\u201d while 69% selected \u201cThe federal government should never declare any religion an official religion.\u201d An additional 15% explicitly selected \u201cNeither\/No opinion\u201d as their choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On the 2023-24 RLS, respondents were asked a similar question: \u201cDo you favor or oppose the federal government declaring the U.S. a Christian nation?\u201d However, this time, they were given four response options (\u201cStrongly favor,\u201d \u201cFavor,\u201d \u201cOppose\u201d and \u201cStrongly oppose\u201d) with no \u201cneutral\u201d option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the question was posed this way, 47% of U.S. adults favor or strongly favor the federal government declaring the U.S. a Christian nation. This is three times the share who chose the comparable option in the other question format from March 2021 \u2013 a striking demonstration of how much the results on these survey questions depend on nuances in the wording of the question and the response options offered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"prayer-in-public-schools\">Prayer in public schools<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new Religious Landscape Study finds that about half of Americans, or a little more, support allowing teacher-led prayer in public schools, whether that be praying to Jesus explicitly (52%) or, alternatively, praying to God without mentioning any specific religion (57%). Seven-in-ten U.S. Christian adults say they favor permitting teacher-led prayers to Jesus in public schools and 73% say they favor teacher-led prayers to God that don\u2019t mention any specific religion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Compared with Christians, far lower shares of religiously unaffiliated Americans (28%) and adults who affiliate with other, non-Christian religions (39%) say they favor public school teachers leading classes in prayers that refer to God without mentioning any specific religion. There is even less support among non-Christian groups for allowing public school teachers to lead classes in prayers to Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=199281\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f2f2f2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f2f2f2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-08.png?resize=480,443 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-08.png?resize=782,722 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-08.png?resize=960,887 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-08.png?resize=1200,1108 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-08.png?resize=1280,1182 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"591\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-08.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Table showing most Christians favor allowing public school teachers to lead their classes in nonsectarian prayers; most others oppose the idea\" class=\"wp-image-199281 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how-survey-question-wording-response-options-can-affect-answers-0\">How survey question wording, response options can affect answers<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These questions about school prayer provide another example of how the decision to include a \u201cNeither\/No opinion\u201d option can have a big impact on survey findings. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2021\/10\/28\/in-u-s-far-more-support-than-oppose-separation-of-church-and-state\/\">March 2021 survey<\/a>, we asked respondents to choose which of the following statements came closest to their view:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cTeachers in public schools should be allowed to lead students in Christian prayers.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cTeachers in public schools should not be allowed to lead students in any kind of prayers.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cNeither\/No opinion\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response, 30% of U.S. adults said teachers in public schools should be allowed to lead students in Christian prayers, which is on par with the 27% of respondents in the new survey who say they strongly favor allowing teacher-led Christian prayers in public schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, 46% of respondents in the March 2021 survey said teachers in public schools should not be allowed to lead students in any kind of prayers, which is similar to the share in the new survey who say they oppose allowing teachers to lead Christian prayers in public schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About a quarter of respondents in the 2021 survey (24%) selected \u201cNeither\/No opinion\u201d as their choice. The findings of the new survey suggest that many of the respondents in the March 2021 survey who chose \u201cNeither\/No opinion\u201d when asked about prayer in schools may, on balance, favor allowing it when presented with a question (like the one in the new survey) that doesn\u2019t explicitly offer a \u201cNeither\/No opinion\u201d option. But they may not feel particularly strongly about the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"displays-of-religious-symbols\">Displays of religious symbols<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About half of Americans (53%) favor or strongly favor allowing cities and towns to display religious symbols on public property. Support for this stance is particularly strong among Christians, including 80% of evangelical Protestants and 73% of Latter-day Saints who favor or strongly favor allowing public displays of religious symbols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=199282\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f2f2f2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f2f2f2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-09.png?resize=480,680 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-09.png?resize=782,1108 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-09.png?resize=840,1190 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"595\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/02\/PR_2025.02.26_religious-landscape-study_022-09.png?w=723\" alt=\"Table showing about half of Americans support allowing religious displays on public property\" class=\"wp-image-199282 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Much lower shares of Buddhists (39%), Muslims (35%), Hindus (31%) and Jews (25%) say they favor allowing religious displays on public property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2021\/10\/28\/in-u-s-far-more-support-than-oppose-separation-of-church-and-state\/\">March 2021 survey<\/a>, we asked about religious displays on public property in a different way. We asked respondents which of these statements came closer to their opinion:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cCities and towns in the U.S. should be allowed to place religious symbols on public property.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cCities and towns in the U.S. should keep religious symbols off public property.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cNeither\/No opinion\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response, 39% of respondents said cities and towns in the U.S. should be allowed to place religious symbols on public property, while 35% said they should keep religious symbols off public property, and 26% selected \u201cNeither\/No opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>CORRECTION (July 1, 2025): A previous version of the table titled \u201cMost Christians favor allowing public school teachers to lead their classes in nonsectarian prayers; most others oppose the idea\u201d misstated the percentage of Latter-day Saints who say that they oppose allowing public school teachers to lead their classes in prayers that refer to Jesus. The table has been replaced. This change does not substantively affect the findings of this report.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Read more about Americans&#8217; views about religious organizations and their effects on society, as well as the separation of church and state. Religious Landscape Study by Pew Research 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summary","slug":"religious-landscape-study-executive-summary","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/religious-landscape-study-executive-summary\/","is_active":false},{"id":198574,"title":"1. Religious identity","slug":"religious-landscape-study-religious-identity","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/religious-landscape-study-religious-identity\/","is_active":false},{"id":198579,"title":"2. Religious switching","slug":"religious-switching","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/religious-switching\/","is_active":false},{"id":198584,"title":"3. Identifying with a religion because of culture, ethnicity or family background","slug":"identifying-with-a-religion-because-of-culture-ethnicity-or-family-background","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/identifying-with-a-religion-because-of-culture-ethnicity-or-family-background\/","is_active":false},{"id":198589,"title":"4. Religious intermarriage","slug":"religious-intermarriage","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/religious-intermarriage\/","is_active":false},{"id":198594,"title":"5. Religious upbringing and childhood education","slug":"religious-upbringing-and-childhood-education","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/religious-upbringing-and-childhood-education\/","is_active":false},{"id":198600,"title":"6. Religion, fertility and child-rearing","slug":"religion-fertility-and-child-rearing","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/religion-fertility-and-child-rearing\/","is_active":false},{"id":198605,"title":"7. Importance of religion and the Bible","slug":"importance-of-religion-and-the-bible","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/importance-of-religion-and-the-bible\/","is_active":false},{"id":198610,"title":"8. Religious attendance and congregational involvement","slug":"religious-attendance-and-congregational-involvement","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/religious-attendance-and-congregational-involvement\/","is_active":false},{"id":198615,"title":"9. Race and ethnicity in religious congregations","slug":"race-and-ethnicity-in-religious-congregations","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/race-and-ethnicity-in-religious-congregations\/","is_active":false},{"id":198620,"title":"10. Prayer and other religious practices","slug":"prayer-and-other-religious-practices","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/prayer-and-other-religious-practices\/","is_active":false},{"id":198624,"title":"11. Religious and spiritual beliefs","slug":"religious-and-spiritual-beliefs","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/religious-and-spiritual-beliefs\/","is_active":false},{"id":198630,"title":"12. Spiritual experiences","slug":"religious-landscape-study-spiritual-experiences","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/religious-landscape-study-spiritual-experiences\/","is_active":false},{"id":198635,"title":"13. Spiritual activities","slug":"spiritual-activities","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/spiritual-activities\/","is_active":false},{"id":198640,"title":"14. Spiritual and religious self-descriptions","slug":"spiritual-and-religious-self-descriptions","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/spiritual-and-religious-self-descriptions\/","is_active":false},{"id":198645,"title":"15. Religion, partisanship and ideology","slug":"religion-partisanship-and-ideology","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/religion-partisanship-and-ideology\/","is_active":false},{"id":198650,"title":"16. Religion and views on LGBTQ issues and abortion","slug":"religion-and-views-on-lgbtq-issues-and-abortion","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/religion-and-views-on-lgbtq-issues-and-abortion\/","is_active":false},{"id":198654,"title":"17. Religion and views on gender, parenting and workforce participation","slug":"religion-and-views-on-gender-parenting-and-workforce-participation","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/religion-and-views-on-gender-parenting-and-workforce-participation\/","is_active":false},{"id":198659,"title":"18. Religion and views on immigration and diversity","slug":"religion-and-views-on-immigration-and-diversity","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/religion-and-views-on-immigration-and-diversity\/","is_active":false},{"id":198664,"title":"19. Religion and views on the environment","slug":"religion-and-views-on-the-environment","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/religion-and-views-on-the-environment\/","is_active":false},{"id":198669,"title":"20. Religion and views on the role of government","slug":"religion-and-views-on-the-role-of-government","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/religion-and-views-on-the-role-of-government\/","is_active":false},{"id":198691,"title":"21. Religion and views of right and wrong","slug":"religion-and-views-of-right-and-wrong","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/religion-and-views-of-right-and-wrong\/","is_active":false},{"id":198696,"title":"22. Religion\u2019s role in public life","slug":"religious-landscape-study-religions-role-in-public-life","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/religious-landscape-study-religions-role-in-public-life\/","is_active":true},{"id":198702,"title":"23. Religion and views of science","slug":"religion-and-views-of-science","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/religion-and-views-of-science\/","is_active":false},{"id":198707,"title":"24. 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