8 in 10 Americans Say Religion Is Losing Influence in Public Life
Most Americans say religion’s influence is shrinking, and about half (48%) see conflict between their own religious beliefs and mainstream American culture.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
Most Americans say religion’s influence is shrinking, and about half (48%) see conflict between their own religious beliefs and mainstream American culture.
40% of U.S. adults say there’s a lot of discrimination against Jews in society, and 44% say there’s a lot of discrimination against Muslims.
57% of Americans express some sympathy with both Israelis and Palestinians, including 26% who say their sympathies lie equally with both groups.
Most U.S. adults – including a solid majority of Christians and large numbers of people who identify with other religious traditions – consider the Earth sacred and believe God gave humans a duty to care for it. But highly religious Americans are far less likely than other U.S. adults to express concern about warming temperatures around the globe.
But they hold differing opinions about what that phrase means, and two-thirds of U.S. adults say churches should keep out of politics.
India’s artificially wide ratio of baby boys to baby girls – which arose in the 1970s from the use of prenatal diagnostic technology to facilitate sex-selective abortions – now appears to be narrowing. Son bias has declined sharply among Sikhs, while Christians continue to have a natural balance of sons and daughters.
Most say Francis represents change in the church. And many say the church should allow priests to marry and let Catholics use birth control.
Only 35% of Israelis believe that Israel and an independent Palestine can coexist peacefully, down from 44% in 2017.
Highly religious Americans are much more likely to see society in those terms, while nonreligious people tend to see more ambiguity.
Hindus were the religious group most likely to say they voted for the BJP in India’s most recent parliamentary election.
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