Support for \u201cchurch and state\u201d measured 59. Also up 3 points from last year, this most controversial category examines the boundaries of interactions between government and religion.<\/li>\n
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Beyond the questions that populate these categories, the index also gauged religious liberty opinions on three additional topics that test the levels of overall support. Two suggest pushback against a liberal ethos.<\/p>\n
First, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, 30 years after its passage in 1993, still commands respect. About two-thirds of Americans agree that its level of protections are \u201cjust about right\u201d (63%). Amid some claims that state-level versions of the law are used to undermine LGBT rights, this community is even more likely (65%) to agree. Only 12 percent of survey respondents believe the act goes too far, while 26 percent believe it does not protect religious freedom rights enough.<\/p>\n
Second, Americans support faith-driven parental rights to opt-out children from curriculum on gender and sexuality. Nearly three-quarters (74%) agree, with strong agreement (42%) four times higher than strong disagreement. Meanwhile, 58 percent of Americans oppose school policies mandating preferred pronoun usage in schools, a 12-point increase from 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe American people sent a clear message in this year\u2019s Index: Parents don\u2019t take a back seat to anyone when it comes to raising their children,\u201d said Renzi. \u201cParents want schools to teach their children math and science, not force them to embrace controversial gender ideology.\u201d<\/p>\n
Third, Americans support religious freedom over economic interests. In light of last year\u2019s findings of 90 percent support for Native American sacred land rights, Becket asked specifically about a pending Supreme Court case over a disputed copper mine. Though told that excavation would create jobs and power electric vehicles, 73 percent still sided with the protection of indigenous sanctities.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, 59 percent of Americans believe that religion is \u201cpart of the solution\u201d to national problems, up 9 points from last year.<\/p>\n
But even though support for religious freedom is widespread, many Americans decreasingly feel it. People of faith registered only 50 percent agreement that they are accepted in society, a 5-point drop from last year\u2014largely driven by non-Catholic Christians. Non-Christians feel even less acceptance at 38 percent.<\/p>\n
Polarization may drive the perception. Democrats scored 57 in the religion and policy section, while Republicans scored 76. Racial breakdowns, however, do not accord with conventional political associations. White Americans score 66, in line with the national average. But Black Americans display even stronger support for religious liberty at 72.<\/p>\n
Not all of the survey results are encouraging to people of faith. Respondents supporting the \u201cabsolutely essential\u201d right to preach one\u2019s religious doctrine dropped 5 points to 35 percent. And the right of religious sharing in general drops precipitously among the nonreligious, with a 12-point gap at age 65+ increasing to a 22-point gap for ages 35\u201344.<\/p>\n
This comes as religious attachment is also declining. Two-thirds of Americans (67%) describe themselves as at least somewhat religious, down 3 points since 2019. Two-in-five (41%) describe themselves as very religious, down 6 points since 2021.<\/p>\n
And Gen Z is less protective of religious freedom than anyone else.<\/p>\n
Its index score of 59 compares unfavorably to all other generations, at or above the national average of 66. But rather than expressing a dismissal of religiosity, Gen Z\u2019s focus is simply shifting, Becket suggests.<\/p>\n
While only 36 percent support the right to preach, 48 percent support the right to share one\u2019s religion. And while 66 percent of Gen Z support the right to choose a religion\u20148 points less than the national average\u201463 percent support the right to religious practices different than the majority, 12 points higher than the national average.<\/p>\n
Becket said Gen Z shows the least support for businesses to employ and craft policies according to the religious values of the owner. But they outpace all generations in support of religious clothing at work (58%) and of opting out of work participation when it violates religious belief (49%).<\/p>\n
Yet even if society continues moving away from a consensus of faith, 87 percent of the nonreligious accept tolerance and respect of a broad array of ideas and beliefs about God.<\/p>\n
How should Christians steward these positive numbers? Friendship.<\/p>\n
While 53 percent of society expresses a high appreciation for people of faith, nonbelievers drop 39 points if they have no believers within their social circle. For those who do, the percentage bounces back 21 points. And while nonbelievers with religious friends equal the overall religious pluralism score of 84, it falls 11 points for those without.<\/p>\n
Overall, Becket is optimistic.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmericans have a better appreciation of what religious people need when they are taken together as a nation, instead of split apart,\u201d states the report\u2019s conclusion. \u201cOur nation values religion and people of faith, approves of strong protections for religious liberty, and supports a healthy, diverse, and pluralistic society where Americans of all faiths (or none at all) can live together in harmony.\u201d<\/p>\n
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