United States
RNS
Three-quarters of Americans say the country is heading in the wrong direction, and the majority of many religious groups agree with that sentiment, a new report shows. But they don’t all agree on what, exactly, has gone wrong.
The 2022 American Values Survey by Public Religion Research Institute finds that religious Americans hold generally negative views of the state of the country, ranging from 93 per cent of white evangelical Protestants to 59 per cent of Black Protestants.
Direction of the Country and Change Since the 1950s, by Party and Religious Affiliation. GRAPHIC: Courtesy of PRRI
“Though most Americans favor moving forward, a sizable minority yearn for a country reminiscent of the 1950s, embrace the idea that God created America to be a new promised land for European Christians, view newcomers as a threat to American culture, and believe that society has become too soft and feminine,” the 60-page report states.
“This minority is composed primarily of self-identified Republicans, white evangelical Protestants, and white Americans without a college degree.”
PRRI’s survey addressed questions of race, sexuality, abortion and immigration as well as sentiments about the country’s origins.
About a third (31 per cent) of Americans agree with the statement that “God intended America to be a new promised land where European Christians could create a society that could be an example to the rest of the world.”
Half of white evangelical Protestants agree, while smaller percentages of other religious groups do: 37 per cent of white mainline Protestants, 36 per cent of white Catholics, 32 per cent of Hispanic Catholics, 22 per cent of Black Protestants and non-Christian religious Americans and 16 per cent of the religiously unaffiliated.
There is also a split among Americans about whether immigrants to America are a threatening (40 per cent) or a strengthening factor for society (55 per cent), with white Christian subgroups significantly more likely than others in the country to side with the idea that newcomers from other countries are a threat.
Attitudes About the State of American Society, by Party and Religious Affiliation. GRAPHIC: Courtesy of PRRI
White evangelical Protestants, at 51 per cent, are the only faith group where a majority say immigrants are “invading our country and replacing our cultural and ethnic background.”
By far among religious groups, white evangelical Protestants (61 per cent) also agree that “society as a whole has become too soft and feminine.” Americans in general are split on this notion, with 42 per cent agreeing and 53 per cent disagreeing.
The survey found that the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision is a significant motivator to vote in the midterm elections. That ruling overturned Roe v Wade, which in 1973 determined that abortion was a constitutional right.
Some 50 per cent of white evangelical Protestants, Black Protestants and white Catholics said they were more likely to vote after the ruling in June, as did 48 per cent of religiously unaffiliated Americans, 47 per cent of non-Christian religious Americans and 45 per cent of white mainline Protestants.
Opposition to Overturning Roe v Wade, by Party, Religion, and Demographics. GRAPHIC: Courtesy of PRRI
A distinct minority across the board – from 35 per cent of white evangelicals to nine per cent of the religiously unaffiliated – support laws that would make it illegal to cross state lines to obtain an abortion in a state where the procedure is permitted.
People with different religious affiliations varied in what they considered top priorities for midterm voting, but majorities of many faith categories cited “the health of our democracy” as being critical to their vote.
A majority of Americans planning to head to the polls (57 per cent) listed the health of our democracy and increasing costs of housing and other everyday expenses as critical issues for their vote.
The research found disparate views among religious Americans about racial and LGBTQ issues.
Views on Specific Abortion Policies, by Religious Affiliation. GRAPHIC: Courtesy of PRRI
Asked if “generations of slavery and discrimination have created conditions that make it difficult for Black Americans to work their way out of the lower class,” white Christians were significantly less likely to agree, while majorities of Black Protestants, religiously unaffiliated Americans, non-Christian religious Americans and Hispanic Catholics agreed.
Most white evangelical Protestants, Black Protestants, other Christians, white Catholics and white mainline Protestants say there are only two genders (female and male), compared with smaller percentages of Hispanic Catholics, religiously unaffiliated Americans and religious non-Christians.
The survey was based on a representative sample of 2,523 adults in all 50 US states and was conducted online from 1st to 11th September. It has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.
