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.