American Views on Religious Freedom Phone Survey of 1,000 Americans
2 Methodology The phone survey of Americans was conducted September 19-28, 2014 The calling utilized Random Digit Dialing. 60% of completes were among landlines and 40% among cell phones Maximum quotas and slight weights were used for gender, region, age, ethnicity, and education to more accurately reflect the population The completed sample is 1,000 surveys The sample provides 95% confidence that the sampling error does not exceed +3.4% Margins of error are higher in sub-groups
Survey Responses
4 57% agree that America is a welcoming place for Muslims 100% 80% 60% 40% 36% 20% 16% 19% 21% 8% 0% Strongly Disagree Somewhat Disagree Somewhat Agree Strongly Agree Not sure Q: America is a welcoming place for Muslims
5 92% agree that America is a welcoming place for Christians 100% 80% 60% 66% 40% 27% 20% 0% 1% Strongly Disagree 5% Somewhat Disagree Somewhat Agree Strongly Agree 2% Not sure Q: America is a welcoming place for Christians
6 87% agree that America is a welcoming place for Jews 100% 80% 60% 51% 40% 36% 20% 0% 2% Strongly Disagree 6% Somewhat Disagree Somewhat Agree Strongly Agree 4% Not sure Q: America is a welcoming place for Jews
7 67% agree that America is a welcoming place for Atheists 100% 80% 60% 40% 35% 32% 20% 14% 13% 6% 0% Strongly Disagree Somewhat Disagree Somewhat Agree Strongly Agree Not sure Q: America is a welcoming place for Atheists
8 88% agree that Americans have religious freedom 100% 80% 67% 60% 40% 20% 0% 5% 6% Strongly Disagree Somewhat Disagree 21% Somewhat Agree Strongly Agree 1% Not sure Q: Americans have religious freedom
9 Less than 1 in 5 say America is a Christian nation 100% 80% 69% 60% 40% 20% 0% 9% Secular nation Nation of many religions 19% Christian nation 2% Not sure Q: Which of the following three statements best describes America today? America is a
10 9 in 10 believe sharing faith should be an American s right Freedom to worship with others who share your faith Freedom to choose your religious beliefs Freedom to practice principles of your faith in everyday life Freedom to build a house of worship Freedom to tell others about your religious beliefs Freedom to run your business in accordance with your beliefs 95% 95% 94% 92% 90% 78% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Q: Which, if any, of the following aspects of religious freedom do you believe should be an American s right?
11 Significant Differences Region Age Gender Education Level Ethnicity Religious Preference Catholic/Protestant Born again/evangelical/fundamentalist
12 Significant Statistical Differences Comparisons were made to determine if there are any significant statistical differences among region of the country, age, gender, and education level. Region Age Gender Education Level Northeast 18-24 Male HS degree or less Midwest 25-34 Female Some college South 35-44 Bachelor s West 45-54 Graduate degree 55-64 65+ Notes: Region is defined by US Census locations
13 Significant Statistical Differences Comparisons were made to determine if there are any significant statistical differences among ethnicity, religious preference, denomination, and Born again/ Evangelical/ Fundamentalist. Ethnicity Religious Preference Denomination White Christian* Protestant / Nondenominational Born again / Evangelical / Fundamentalist Yes African American Other Religions Catholic No / not sure Hispanic Nonreligious** *includes Catholic, Protestant, Nondenominational, and Orthodox **includes Atheist, Agnostic, and No Preference Note: Those who consider themselves Born again, Evangelical, or Fundamentalist are labeled Evangelical in this report
14 America is a welcoming place for Muslims Those age 65+ (46%) are less likely to agree than those age 18-24 (64%), 35-44 (60%), 45-54 (59%), and 55-64 (59%) Christians (60%) are more likely to agree than Nonreligious (47%) Catholics (68%) are more likely to agree than Protestants (56%)
15 America is a welcoming place for Christians Those age 35-44 (97%) are more likely to agree than those age 45-54 (90%) and 65+ (90%)
16 America is a welcoming place for Jews Men are more likely to agree (89% v 85%) Those age 65+ (82%) are less likely to agree than those age 25-34 (89%) and 35-44 (90%)
17 America is a welcoming place for Atheists Men are more likely to agree (70% v 63%) Westerners (75%) and Northeasterners (69%) are more likely to agree than Southerners (60%) Westerners (75%) are more likely to agree than Midwesterners (67%) Those age 65+ are least likely to agree (46%) Those age 18-24 (79%) are more likely to agree than those age 25-34 (67%) African Americans (57%) are less likely to agree than Whites (68%) and Hispanics (71%) Those with a HS degree or less (62%) are less likely to agree than those with some college (71%) or a Bachelor s (75%) Those with a Bachelor s (75%) are more likely to agree than those with a graduate degree (62%) Other Religions (78%) are more likely to agree than Christians (67%) and Nonreligious (62%)
18 Americans have religious freedom Christians (89%) are more likely to agree than Nonreligious (82%)
19 Which of the following three statements best describes America today? Women are more likely to select America is a nation of many religions (73% v 65%) Southerners (25%) are more likely to select America is a Christian nation than Northeasterners (14%) and Westerners (16%) Those age 35-44 (77%) are more likely to select America is a nation of many religions than those age 25-34 (66%) and 45-54 (67%) Those age 35-44 (12%) are less likely to select America is a Christian nation than those age 45-54 (22%), 55-64 (25%), and 65+ (22%) Those with a HS degree or less (6%) are less likely to select America is a secular nation than those with a Bachelor s (11%) or graduate degree (16%)
20 Which of the following three statements best describes America today? (continued) Christians (7%) are less likely to select America is a secular nation than Nonreligious (15%) Christians (73%) are more likely to select America is a nation of many religions than Nonreligious (60%) Compared to Catholics, Protestants are more likely to select America is a secular nation (8% v 4%) and America is a Christian nation (21% v 12%) and less likely to select America is a nation of many religions (69% v 80%) Evangelicals are more likely to select America is a Christian nation (24% v 17%) and less likely to select America is a nation of many religions (63% v 72%)
Which, if any, of the following aspects of religious freedom do you believe should be an American s right? Freedom to choose your religious beliefs Westerners (97%) are more likely to select Yes than Northeasterners (93%) Those age 18-24 (91%) and 25-34 (94%) are less likely to select Yes than those 35-44 (98%), and 55-64 (98%) Those with a Bachelor s (99%) are more likely to select Yes than those with a HS degree or less (93%) or those with some college (95%) Whites (97%) are more likely to select Yes than African Americans (91%) and Hispanics (89%) Freedom to tell others about your religious beliefs Evangelicals are more likely to select Yes (95% v 87%) Freedom to worship with others who share your faith Hispanics (90%) are less likely to select Yes than Whites (96%) and African Americans (97%) Those with a Bachelor s (98%) are more likely to select Yes than those with a HS degree or less (94%) or those with some college (94%) Evangelicals are more likely to select Yes (97% v 94%) 21
Which, if any, of the following aspects of religious freedom do you believe should be an American s right? Freedom to build a house of worship Hispanics (82%) are less likely to select Yes than Whites (94%) and African Americans (92%) Those with a Bachelor s (96%) or some college (93%) are more likely to select Yes than those with a HS degree or less (89%) Protestants (95%) are more likely to select Yes than Catholics (87%) Evangelicals are more likely to select Yes (95% v 90%) Freedom to run your business in accordance with your beliefs Women are more likely to select Yes (81% v 76%) Southerners (84%) are most likely to select Yes Those age 18-24 (68%) are less likely to select Yes than those age 25-34 (83%), 35-44 (84%), and 55-64 (78%) Those with a graduate degree (68%) are least likely to select Yes Nonreligious (64%) are less likely to select Yes than Christians (81%) and Other Religions (82%) Evangelicals are more likely to select Yes (88% v 74%) 22
Which, if any, of the following aspects of religious freedom do you believe should be an American s right? 23 Freedom to practice principles of your faith in everyday life Those age 35-44 (96%) are more likely to select Yes than those age 65+ (91%)
American Views on Religious Freedom Phone Survey of 1,000 Americans