Poll: More people see religion's influence waning, but want politics in church

photo President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, attend the Presidential Inaugural Prayer Service at Washington National Cathedral in Washington in 2013.

More than ever, Americans say religion is losing its influence in society, though the public's appetite for religion in politics is only growing.

A new poll released Monday by the Pew Research Center found that 72 percent of the public think religion is losing influence in American life -- up 5 percentage points from 2010. The study also found that an increasing number of people want churches to express their views on day-to-day political and social issues. That number is up to 49 percent, while 48 percent of respondents said churches should keep out of such issues.

Likewise, a record-high number of respondents said churches should endorse political candidates. That figure is up to 32 percent -- a significant uptick since 2002's figure of 22 percent.

That discrepancy in religion's perceived influence and the public's appetite for religious activity is likely caused by two distinct segments of the population, said Michelle Deardorff, political science professor and department head at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

On one side are members of the religious right, who feel that the church is a core part of their identity. On the other side are millennials, who are more likely to be religiously unaffiliated.

"I think the reason you're seeing this tension is that it's two different groups who have a clearly articulated perspective related to religion," Deardorff said. "It's just two differently articulated perspectives."

Nearly a third of respondents said they wanted houses of worship to come out in favor of certain candidates -- when churches are barred from such action under IRS rules for tax-exempt organizations.

"They can organize around issues. They can't advocate for particular candidates or parties," Deardorff said. "But they can still be politically engaged, advocating for or against particular policies."

Todd Gaddis, pastor of First Baptist Church of LaFayette, said the church doesn't weigh into most political issues or candidates. But he has noticed a growing interest in social activism from younger generations. For them, faith isn't necessarily about what happens at church, but what happens out in the world.

"The older generation went to church and heard sermon after sermon, went to Bible study. They were overtrained and underutilized," he said. "The younger generation -- the 18-to-35 crowd -- they're more doers. They want to see action. I think rather than come and sit in a circle and hear a lesson, they might want to gather at a spot in town and do something for somebody -- ministry in action. I think that's a positive. I like that. They're saying this isn't our granddaddy's church."

In this month's poll, Pew also found:

• The public views the Republican Party as more friendly toward religion (47 percent) than the Democratic Party (29 percent).

• A declining share of Americans -- 30 percent -- view the Obama administration as friendly toward religion, down 7 percentage points since 2009.

• Among Republicans and those who lean toward the GOP, half or more say the party is doing a poor job representing their views on government spending, illegal immigration or same-sex marriage.

Pew researchers said the findings reflect a growing divide between religious Americans and the growing share of Americans -- now about one-fifth of the population -- who are not affiliated with a particular religion, sometimes called the "nones."

"The public's appetite for religious influence in politics is increasing in part because those who continue to identify with a religion [e.g., Protestants, Catholics and others] have become significantly more supportive of churches and other houses of worship speaking out about political issues and political leaders talking more often about religion," Pew's report reads.

"The 'nones' are much more likely to oppose the intermingling of religion and politics."

Contact staff writer Kevin Hardy at khardy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.

Upcoming Events