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Are Politicians Talking too Much about Religion?
Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux,
03.22.2012

According to a new Pew Research Center survey, 38% of Americans believe that there is too much expression of religious faith and prayer from political leaders, compared to 30% who say there has been too little and 25% who say that there has been the right amount. Since Pew asked the question in 2001, there has been a 26-point increase in the percentage of people who believe there is too much expression of religious faith and prayer from political leaders, increasing from 12% to 38%.

Other Notable Findings:

  • A majority of Americans (54%) say that churches should keep out of politics, compared to 40% who say they should express their views on day-to-day social and political questions.
  • Americans believe the GOP is friendlier towards religion than the Democratic Party, 54% to 35%. Among all demographic, political, and religious subgroups, the percentage of people saying that the GOP is friendly toward religion has increased by more than 8-points since 2010.
  • A plurality of Americans (39%) find that the Obama administration is friendly towards religion. Twenty-five percent of Catholics say the Obama administration is unfriendly towards religion. This number has risen 10-points since 2009.

Lots of interesting stuff in this survey. Check out more findings here.