The Latest Public Opinion Polls about Religion

The Latest Polls About Religion

What do people really think about hot button issues like abortion, the separation of church and state, gay marriage, etc? The latest public opinion surveys from Gallup, Zogby, The New York Times, Newsweek and others may surprise you.

At a time when the presence of religion in American puplic life is more obvious, the latest polls are revealing. For example, you've probably read about certain Roman Catholic bishops refusing communion to Catholic candidates who oppose the church's teaching on issues like abortion. But what do Catholic voters think about this?

In a recent CBS News poll, Catholic voters were asked: "Do you think it is appropriate for Catholic bishops to refuse to give communion to elected officials who publicly disagree with the Church's position on issues like abortion, or is that not appropriate?" In this instance only 17% of Catholics agreed with their bishops on this one, while 78% disagreed.

At a time when the President is making federal support of "faith based" organizatons a central part of his domestic agenda, and belief in God is considered nearly a necessary precondition for holding high public office, the public remains surprisingly skeptical. In the same CBS poll mentioned above, voters were asked: "Do you think it is appropriate for political candidates to talk about their religious beliefs as part of their political campaigns, or do you think this is not appropriate?" While a bare majority (50%) of those questioned approved on such public expressions of piety from their political leaders, nearly as many (47%) disapproved, or remained undecided on the issue.

Charles Henderson

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The Rev. Charles P. Henderson is a Presbyterian minister and Executive Director of
CrossCurrents.
He is the author of God and Science (John Knox Press, 1986).
A revised and expanded version of the book is appearing here.
God and Science (Hypertext Edition, 2005).
He is also editor of a new book, featuring articles by world class scientists and theologians, and illustrating the leading views on the relationship between science and religion:
Faith, Science and the Future (CrossCurrents Press, 2007)
For more information about Charles Henderson.
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