Why Abortion Bans Keep Getting Passed, Even Though They’re Unpopular

In a new op-ed published at The New Republic, PRRI CEO Melissa Deckman, Ph.D., examines the growth of restrictive abortion policies at the state level, noting that only 11% of residents in states that have essentially banned abortion agree that the procedure should be illegal in all cases, according to PRRI data. The disproportionate influence of more extreme voters in red states and the ascendancy of religious conservatives as Republican power brokers, however, explain the discrepancy between polling and policy. Nonetheless, Deckman writes, Republican candidates are likely to pay a steep political price for backing abortion bans nationally, as seen by the absence of a federal ban on abortion in the 2024 Republican Party platform.

Trump’s Bibles and Sneakers Campaigns Tell an Old Story About the Role of Race in Christian Nationalism

For Religion Dispatches, PRRI Public Fellow Dara Delgado, Ph.D. considers why the Trump campaign marketed its God Bless the USA Bible to white evangelicals, but not to Black Christian America, through the lens of anti-Black racism and the history of American Christianity. The campaign’s decision to court young Black voters with a sneaker line instead is notable at a time when former President Trump will need to win “more young, minority voters, particularly young Black men,” to win the election. PRRI finds that 21% of Black Americans ages 18-29 hold favorable views of Trump, a higher favorability than other age groups (16% of those ages 30-49, 8% of those ages 50-64).

Anger Mounts in Southeast Texas as Crippling Power Outages and Heat Turn Deadly

CNN reports that southeast Texas residents are entering their fourth day of power outages and heat after Beryl hit the Gulf Coast. In Houston, heat-related medical emergencies are spiking and senior care facilities are particularly at risk as power outages continue. Months before Hurricane Beryl hit Texas, Houston’s primary utility company, CenterPoint Energy, estimated it would need $2 billion to harden its system against worsening extreme weather. PRRI finds that around three in ten Gen Zers (32%) and millennials (29%) say they would only vote for a candidate who shares their views on climate change compared with around a quarter of Gen Xers (27%), baby boomers (26%), and members of the Silent Generation (24%).

Online Spaces Create Community for Spiritual Yoga Practitioners

Ellie Davis at Religion News Service writes that as more Americans disaffiliate from organized religion, some yoga teachers have begun to organize online spiritual communities around yoga. The co-leader of one such group said she rejects the idea of being a member of anything — though she reads and studies from multiple faiths. PRRI’s Religious Change report found that only 9% of religiously unaffiliated Americans said they are seeking a religion that suits them. PRRI’s CEO Melissa Deckman, Ph.D., told RNS: “We were struck that so few religiously unaffiliated Americans are actually seeking organized religion or a church experience.” Instead, they prefer to be a “part of a larger community of seekers.”