Staunchly conservative on all issues; deeply loyal to Donald Trump
Faith and Flag Conservatives are highly religious, politically engaged and both socially and economically conservative. They favor a robust role for religion in public life and a smaller role for government in society, and they hold that a strong American military is essential in international affairs. They overwhelmingly identify with the GOP and remain strong supporters of former President Donald Trump.
More than four-in-ten are White evangelical Protestants, the highest share of any political typology group. Faith and Flag Conservatives are more likely than those in other groups to emphasize the importance of religion in their lives and to hold restrictive attitudes on abortion and same-sex marriage; they are the sole group in which a majority (67%) say same-sex marriage being legal is bad for the country. They are also the only group in which a majority (58%) favors allowing public school teachers to lead students in Christian prayers.
Three-quarters of Faith and Flag Conservatives say that the best way to ensure peace is through military strength rather than through diplomatic means, by far the highest share of any group saying this. They are one of only two groups, alongside Populist Right, in which a majority favor increasing the size of America’s military.
Faith and Flag Conservatives are the most likely to say that White people benefit “not at all” from advantages in society that Black people don’t have, and they are much more likely to say that there is a lot of discrimination against White people in our society today than they are to say the same of discrimination against Black people. About six-in-ten (63%) say that “increased public attention to the history of slavery and racism in America” is bad for our society.
Faith and Flag Conservatives are the oldest typology group, with a median age of 57.
Trump enjoys stronger support from Faith and Flag Conservatives than from nearly any other typology group. They nearly unanimously voted for him in 2020, and a majority say that he was a great president. Roughly half say that he definitelyreceived the most votes cast by eligible voters in enough states to win the 2020 presidential election (86% say Trump at least probably won the 2020 election). Official counts show that Biden received the most votes cast by eligible voters in enough states to win.
About eight-in-ten (83%) in this group say they would like Trump to remain a major national figure for many years to come, with a majority (55%) wanting him to run for president again.
Political affiliation, voting and engagement
Almost all Faith and Flag Conservatives (97%) either identify as Republicans (74%) or lean toward the Republican Party (23%). About six-in-ten (59%) identify strongly with the GOP. This is the highest share who identify strongly with either party across all nine typology groups.
Nearly nine-in-ten Faith and Flag Conservatives describe their own political views as conservative, including 35% who say they are very conservative.
Faith and Flag Conservatives give Republicans a very warm average rating of 77 on a “feeling thermometer” ranging from 0-100, where 100 represents the warmest feelings – the highest rating of any typology group. They give Democrats an average rating of 11, lower than any other group.
Faith and Flag Conservatives are one of the two most politically engaged groups, alongside Progressive Left. They voted at very high rates in 2020 – 85% of those eligible to vote did so – and in the months leading up to the 2020 election, a higher share (31%) contributed money to a candidate for office or to a group working to elect a candidate than in any other Republican-oriented group.
A majority of this group (55%) say they follow what’s going on in government and public affairs most of the time. Faith and Flag Conservatives are also more likely than most to say they discuss government and politics nearly every day.
Faith and Flag Conservatives: Key political attitudes and beliefs
Faith and Flag Conservatives stand out for their conservative views on a wide array of issues, including the role of religion in public life. About three-quarters (77%) say that cities and towns should be allowed to place religious symbols on public property. A similar share (75%) say government policies should support religious values (the only typology group in which a majority says this). And 83% say the decline in the share of Americans belonging to an organized religion is bad for society.
They diverge from other Republican-oriented groups on several issues. For example, 69% of Faith and Flag Conservatives say the U.S. “stands above all other countries in the world,” far larger than the share in any other typology group, Republican and Democratic. And they are highly skeptical of political compromise: 53% of Faith and Flag Conservatives say that “compromise is really just selling out on what you believe in.”
Faith and Flag Conservatives have very favorable attitudes toward Trump. Large shares of Faith and Flag Conservatives assert that Trump was either definitely or probably the legitimate winner of the 2020 presidential election, despite official counts showing Biden legitimately won the election: 53% say that Trump definitely received the most votes cast by eligible voters in enough states to win the election, and another 34% say that he probably did. A majority (59%) say that they like political leaders who publicly assert that Trump was the legitimate winner, and 42% say that the Republican Party should be not at all accepting of elected officials who criticize Trump.
Nearly eight-in-ten Faith and Flag Conservatives (79%) say that too much attention has been paid to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and its impacts, a higher share than in any other group. And 58% say that the criminal penalties the individuals who broke into the Capitol and rioted have been receiving are too severe – the only typology group in which a majority says this.
Faith and Flag Conservatives express relatively high levels of antipathy toward Democrats. Roughly seven-in-ten (71%) say that people who supported a different candidate than they did in the 2020 presidential election probably don’t share many of their other values and goals, either. This is similar to the shares of Populist Right (66%) and Progressive Left (69%) who say this, and higher than in other groups.
Faith and Flag Conservatives: Who they are
Faith and Flag Conservatives are the oldest typology group. Two-thirds are ages 50 and older, including a third who are at least 65, while just 8% are under the age of 30.
Along with Committed Conservatives and Populist Right, they have the highest share who identify as non-Hispanic White (85%). Nearly six-in-ten (58%) are men, the highest share in the typology – along with Committed Conservatives. They are also among the most likely to live in rural communities.
Nearly four-in-ten Faith and Flag Conservatives (38%) said they definitely or probably would not get a COVID-19 vaccine as of late August, similar to the 39% of Populist Right who said this. Far smaller shares of those in other typology groups said this.
A large majority of this group (74%) report getting political news from Fox News, a higher share than any other group.
