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POLL REVEALS 4 OUT OF 10 AMERICANS THINK RELIGION IS 'VERY IMPORTANT'
Abigail Olsson
https://washingtonstand.com/
May 12, 2023
A recent poll conducted by The Economist/YouGov found that only four in 10 Americans claim religion is "very important" in their life. The survey also addressed the participants' thoughts regarding the stock market, the next presidential election, and inflation.
The poll, conducted from May 6 through May 9, surveyed 1,500 adults on their opinions regarding the current state of America as well as their personal religious position. While 20% claimed their religion was "nothing in particular," over half claimed a Protestant or Roman Catholic faith. Only 18% admitted to attending a religious service once a week, meaning less than one in four of those who had claimed religion was "very important" to them put their faith into action by attending gatherings like church services.
"I would argue that we have taken for granted the freedoms afforded by the First Amendment," David Closson, director of the Center for Biblical Worldview at Family Research Council, told The Washington Stand. "The forces of secularism and post-modernism have largely contributed to a culture that thinks it no longer has a need for God, the church, or anything that provides objective moral truth."
Findings from the survey also align with those of a Wall Street Journal-NORC poll released in March, confirming that 39% of Americans claim religion is "very important" to them. Interestingly, the WSJ poll found that 49% of participants -- 10% more than those who find religion important -- believed that they "know God really exists" and "have no doubts about it."
The questions also addressed religion in the context of personal identity. When asked how important certain characteristics were to the participants, the WSJ poll found that 48% of Americans claimed that gender was "essential" to their identity, while only 34% claimed the same thing of religion.
In response to Americans claiming gender was more important to their personal identity than religion, Closson detailed what he believes to be the root cause.
"The question of identity -- 'Who are you?' -- gets at the heart of the most contested issues in our culture today," he explained. "As Christians, we understand that our identity is rooted in what God says about us. But the moral and transgender revolutions have stood everything on their head, and now gender identity has become a key marker of identity. But anchoring our identity in something that is fundamentally against God's design will only lead to further hurt and pain."
Breitbart's Katherine Hamilton shared similar thoughts regarding The Economist/YouGov poll, saying that it shows "religion's devalued role in a nation that continues to prioritize self-gratification and secular progressivism."
FOOTNOTE: If 4 out of 10 think religion is very important, that means 6 out of 10 don't. Think about that.
