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SPECIAL REPORT:
Exploring Religious America
April 26, 2002 Episode no. 534
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EXPLORING RELIGIOUS AMERICA
A Poll Conducted for RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY and U.S. NEWS & WORLD
REPORT
by Mitofsky International and Edison Media Research
March 26 - April 4, 2002
INTRODUCTION
Americans are tolerant when it comes to other religions; they are not threatened
by other religions; and yet they don't know much about them. These are the main
findings of our national telephone survey of 2,002 adults in the United States.
Mitofsky International and Edison Media Research conducted this survey, "Exploring
Religious America," for the weekly Public Broadcasting Service television program
RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY and U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT.
This report details the main findings of the survey:
- Most Christians feel they are tolerant of other religions.
- Americans see religious diversity as a strength and not as a threat.
- Many of these very religious and very tolerant Americans know neither people
of other religions nor much about religions other than their own.
- Many Americans turned to their religion to deal with the aftermath of the
events of September 11th
- While Americans are evenly split on their overall view of Islam as a religion,
most Americans expect a bigger armed conflict soon between Christian and Islamic
countries.
- About one half of Americans say they attend religious services at least once
per week, and large numbers say they attend prayer group meetings and Bible study.
- By nearly three to one, Catholics believe that Catholic priests should be
allowed to marry.
RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE -- RELIGIOUS THREATS
For the most part, Americans are accepting and tolerant of people who have religious
beliefs that are different than theirs. They think all religions have elements
of truth, and a large majority does not think of their own religion as the only
true religion. They have this spirit of acceptance and openness to religious differences
even though most do not personally know people who practice religions different
than theirs or know much about the religious beliefs of others.
Christians see themselves as very tolerant of people of other faiths, with 81%
of Christians saying that Christians in the United States are "very" or "somewhat"
tolerant of people of other faiths. People who are not Christians agree with this
view for the most part, but not nearly as many of them are fully convinced of
Christian tolerance. Only 54% of non-Christians see Christians as being tolerant
of people of other faiths.
Most people in the United States know someone who is Christian (94%) and are familiar
with the basic teachings of Christianity (95%). But only half (51%) know a Jew
or are familiar with the basic teachings of Judaism (50%). Very few people know
a Muslim (28%), a Hindu (17%), or a Buddhist (17%), nor are there very many familiar
with the teachings of these religions.
A majority (62%) thinks the religious diversity in the United States does not
make it harder to keep the country together. Only about 1 in 4 finds diversity
a problem. Religious diversity is not seen as a threat to their individual religious
beliefs. Only 13% feel threatened in this way. Rather, they see this diversity
as a source of strength for their beliefs (76%).
When asked what DOES threaten religious faith, they pick out "evil in the world"
(61%) as the leading cause, followed by "materialism" (57%). They are somewhat
divided about the role of "movies, TV, and popular music," where as many see it
as a threat (48%) as do not see it that way (49%). Less threatening are "nonreligious
views of the world" (42%), and only one fourth (27%) see religion threatened by
"science."
RELIGION SINCE 9/11
About two thirds of Americans (64%) report that religion is a "very important
part" of their lives. This is especially true among women (74%) and African Americans
(89%). While Americans were focused on the events of the September 11th terrorist
attack on the New York World Trade Center and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.,
most of them -- nearly 80% -- said religion was important in helping them deal
with what happened. Almost all of those who regularly attend church (93%) said
religion was important in helping them. Even those who rarely or never attend
religious services were significantly sustained by their religious faith.
The events of 9/11 did little to change an already strong commitment to religion
or faith in God. More than 4 in 5 said that religion is as important in their
lives as it was before the terrorist attacks (81%). And almost everyone said the
attacks either strengthened their faith in God (27%) or did not change it (69%).
Overall, about 1 in 5 said religion was more important since 9/11.
Americans overwhelmingly expect war with Islamic countries. Almost 3 in 4 Christians
feel this way (74%), as do 3 in 5 non-Christians (61%). Even so, they are evenly
divided on their views about the Islamic religion. As many view Islam favorably
(36%) as unfavorably (37%). However, ten times as many think Islam harbors a larger
number of violent extremists (39%) rather than a smaller number (4%) when compared
to other religions. These views appear to be based mostly on the events of 9/11,
as only a minority is personally acquainted with someone who is Muslim (28%) or
say they are familiar with the Islamic religion (35%).
RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND OBSERVANCE
The United States, for the most part, is a country made up of very religious people.
Religious worship and other religious activities play an important role in the
lives of 88% of its people. Almost half (47%) say they attend religious services
at least once a week, sometimes more often. Two fifths (40%) say they attend prayer
group meetings or Bible or Scripture study groups. And almost half (48%) say they
are involved in the activities of their place of worship in addition to their
attendance at religious services.
In order to get an idea of people's views of their relationship to God or some
other spiritual force, they were asked how often they experienced the presence
of a supreme being close to them. Almost half (49%) of the Christians in the sample
said that many times they have experienced "God's presence or a spiritual force
that felt very close to you," while only 1 in 10 said this had never happened.
Non-Christians, on the other hand, were evenly split. About one third (34%) said
it happened many times to them and a like number (36%) said it never happened.
America is mostly a Christian country. Five out of six say they are Christians.
Catholics and Protestants, in equal numbers, comprise half the adult population,
25% and 26% respectively. However, another 32% call themselves Christians but
say they are not Catholics or Protestants. Almost half of Christians say they
are "born again," and one fourth describe themselves as "Evangelical Christians."
The born again and the Evangelicals come from all the Christian denominations,
including Catholics. They come mostly from the group of Christians who describe
themselves as neither Catholic nor Protestant. The Evangelicals, on the other
hand, come mostly from among those who call themselves Protestants.
Percentage of Christians claiming to be:
| Born Again Christians |
46% |
| Catholics |
21% |
| Protestants |
52% |
| Other Christians |
63% |
| Evangelical Christians |
24% |
| Catholics |
10% |
| Protestants |
39% |
| Other Christians |
26% |
Jews and Mormons are each another 2% of the total. Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists
are each less than 1% of the population. About 3% claim some other religion. Nonbelievers
make up 8% of all adults -- 3% are agnostic, 2% are atheist, and 3% have no religious
preference.
Those who attend religious services were asked to choose three reasons from among
seven choices about what was most important when it came to choosing a church,
synagogue, mosque, or temple to attend. More than half (55%) of Christians said
"beliefs, doctrines, and creeds" were important in their choice of a place of
worship. Next were "a sense of community" and the "minister, priest, or rabbi,"
each selected by 51%.
However, when people were asked a separate question, a stronger reason emerged.
By a margin of almost 3 to 1, respondents chose "an individual's spiritual experience"
(69%) over "doctrines and beliefs" (24%) as the most important part of religion.
"Spiritual experiences" were chosen over "doctrines and beliefs" by both non-Christians
(73%-15%) and Christians (69%-26%).
The poll compared several items in their importance in helping people make decisions
about their lives. This was the first sign of religion being less important than
other alternatives. More than three quarters (77%) would rely upon their own personal
judgments ahead of anything else. Of the four alternatives offered them, the teachings
of their church or synagogue ranked last (51%). Family and friends ranked second
(64%), followed by the Bible (60%).
CHANGE IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH?
Catholics were asked about two issues that have been in the news recently as possible
reforms in the Church. When it comes to priestly celibacy, most Catholics (70%)
favor allowing priests to marry. This finding holds true for both men and women
in just about every age group of Catholics. Only among two groups of Catholics
does support for allowing priests to marry drop below 50%: those who are 65 years
old and older and those who attend church more than once per week.
Catholics are more evenly divided about whether Catholic laity should have more
of a say in the selection of bishops. As many would welcome this reform (48%)
as want to continue to leave it to Church officials (44%). Again, support for
this reform drops among older Catholics and those who frequently attend religious
services.
NEWS COVERAGE OF RELIGION
Even though most people take the practice of their religion very seriously in
this country, respondents see little religious news on television. By a 2-to-1
margin, more people believe there is too little news about religion on television
(36%) than believe there is too much (17%). A plurality (39%) thinks that there
is just the right amount of news about religion on television currently. Non-Christians
are more evenly divided between too little (28%) and too much (23%).
HOW THE SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED
This report summarizes the results of a national telephone survey conducted by
Mitofsky International and Edison Media Research regarding religious beliefs and
practices in the United States. This national survey interviewed 2,002 adults
18 years of age and older. It was conducted by telephone between March 26 and
April 4, 2002. The sample households were selected using random digit dialing.
One individual in each household was randomly selected to be interviewed. The
final results were weighted to take account of the probabilities of selecting
one individual per household and the varying number of telephone lines in a household.
Weighting also was done to reflect the national age, sex, and racial demographic
breakdown as estimated by the United States Census Bureau. The sampling error
at a 95% confidence level depends on the sample size for the reference groups.
The sampling error for different groups follows.
Results Based on:
| Total sample |
+/-2% |
| All Christians |
+/-2% |
| Catholics |
+/-4% |
| Protestants |
+/-4% |
| Other Christians |
+/-4% |
| Non-Christians |
+/-6% |
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