RELIGION NEWSWRITERS ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE

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1 RELIGION NEWSWRITERS ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE DENVER, COLORADO SEPTEMBER 25, 2010 Moderated by Bob Smietana of The Tennessean W W W. A M E R I C A N G R A C E. O R G

2 How can America be The Puzzle religiously devout, religiously diverse, and religiously tolerant?

3 AMERICANS OVERWHELMINGLY BELIEVE THAT GOOD PEOPLE OF OTHER RELIGIONS CAN GO TO HEAVEN Mormon 98% Mainline Protestant 96% Jewish 95% Catholic 93% Black Protestant 90% Other Faiths 90% None 87% Evangelical Protestant 83%

5 COMPARED TO OTHER INDUSTRIALIZED NATIONS, THE U.S. HAS A HIGH RATE OF WEEKLY ATTENDANCE AT RELIGIOUS SERVICES 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Jordan Indonesia Poland Egypt Brazil India USA Iran Italy Canada Britain China Russia Japan Sweden Germany France Attend religious services weekly

6 THE DEEP SOUTH, UTAH, AND THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY ARE THE MOST RELIGIOUS REGIONS Low Religiosity (deciles) High

7 RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS IN THE UNITED STATES Percent of U.S. population 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% Evangelical Protestant Catholic None Mainline Protestant Black Protestant Other Faiths Jewish Mormon

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12 In the book, but not in the talk Religion and gender

13 In the book, but not in the talk Religion and gender Religion and ethnicity

14 In the book, but not in the talk Religion and gender Religion and ethnicity Religion and politics

15 In the book, but not in the talk Religion and gender Religion and ethnicity Religion and politics Religion and neighborliness

16 A geological history of the culture wars: How America became polarized in religion and poli<cs a=er 1960

18 Is the influence of religion on American life increasing or decreasing? (% increasing ) 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

19 Is the influence of religion on American life increasing or decreasing? (% increasing ) 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

20 Is the influence of religion on American life increasing or decreasing? (% increasing ) 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0%

27 REGARDLESS OF THEIR LEVEL OF RELIGIOSITY, AMERICANS VALUE RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY 100% 90% 80% 70%!"#!$#!!#!%#!$#!&#!'#!$# ($# ("# Religious diversity has been good for America 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Low Religiosity (deciles) High

28 FEW AMERICANS ARE "TRUE BELIEVERS" 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% There is very little truth in any religion There are basic truths in many religions One religion is true and others are not

29 AMERICANS FEEL WARMEST TOWARD JEWS, MAINLINE PROTESTANTS, AND CATHOLICS (SCORES REFLECT HOW EVERYONE ELSE FEELS ABOUT EACH GROUP; SIZE OF CIRCLE REPRESENTS THAT GROUP'S SHARE OF THE POPULATION) Degrees on feeling thermometer Jewish Catholic Evangelical Protestant Mainline Protestant Nonreligious Average feeling thermometer score for all groups Mormon Buddhist Muslim 41 40

30 FEW AMERICANS HAVE RELIGIOUSLY HOMOGENEOUS FAMILIES, FRIENDS, AND NEIGHBORS 100% 75% 31% 17% 16% 30% 24% None Some Most All How many have same religion as you? 50% 46% 29% 29% 25% 16% 24% 31% 0% 7% Neighbors Friends Extended family

31 SWITCHING AND LAPSING BY RELIGIOUS TRADITION (WHITES ONLY) Of all respondents whose parents were in a given religious tradition, what proportion have left that faith or rarely attend services? Mormon 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Parents' religious tradition Evangelical Protestant Mainline Protestant Catholic Jewish Other Faiths Switched Lapsed

32 INTERMARRIAGE BECAME MORE COMMON THROUGHOUT THE 20TH CENTURY 60% Spouses came from different religious traditions Spouses remained in different religious traditions 50% Percent of all marriages from given era that are mixed 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s Decade in which marriage occurred

43 90% Support for civil liberies of homosexuals by frequency of church 85% 80% 75% Rarely church Talks, books, teaching by an homosexual" allowed 70% 65% 60% Almost always church 55% 50% 45% 40%

44 INTERMARRIAGE RATES BY RELIGIOUS TRADITION Interfaith marriage rate 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Latino Catholic Black Protestant Parents' religious tradition Mormon Evangelical Protestant Jewish Anglo Catholic Mainline Protestant None Other Faiths Currently interfaith Originally interfaith

45 RELIGIOSITY AND POLITICAL ATTITUDES (with standard demographic controls held constant) For attitudes on abortion and same-sex marriage, religiosity matters a lot NO ABORTION, OR ONLY IN CASES OF RAPE, INCEST, OR WHEN THE MOTHER'S LIFE IS AT RISK NO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE OR CIVIL UNIONS 64% 78% 48% 60% 47% 35% 30% 25% 18% 16% Low Religiosity (quintiles) High Low Religiosity (quintiles) High

46 RELIGIOSITY AND POLITICAL ATTITUDES (with standard demographic controls held constant) For other issues, it matters less GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT REDUCE INEQUALITY DECREASE SPENDING ON FOREIGN AID 27% 30% 33% 36% 39% 52% 51% 50% 49% 47% Low Religiosity (quintiles) High Low Religiosity (quintiles) High US SHOULD TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THE WORLD SAFETY OVER CIVIL LIBERTIES 60% 62% 65% 68% 70% 54% 60% 65% 70% 74% Low Religiosity (quintiles) High Low Religiosity (quintiles) High

47 RELIGIOSITY AND POLITICAL ATTITUDES (with standard demographic controls held constant) For still other issues, it does not matter at all US SHOULD DECREASE IMMIGRATION FAVOR DEATH PENALTY 44% 44% 45% 45% 46% 68% 68% 68% 68% 68% Low Religiosity (quintiles) High Low Religiosity (quintiles) High

48 YOUNGER GENERATIONS ARE MORE OPEN TO RELIGIOUS INTERMARRIAGE 70% % Shared religious beliefs "very important" for successful marriage 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% pre1930s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s Decade in which respondent reached adulthood

Heat in the Melting Pot and Cracks in the Mosaic

Heat in the Melting Pot and Cracks in the Mosaic Attitudes Toward Religious Groups and Atheists in the United States and Canada by Reginald W. Bibby Board of Governors Research Chair in Sociology University