{"id":69282,"date":"2024-03-15T10:57:02","date_gmt":"2024-03-15T15:57:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/2024\/03\/15\/christianitys-place-in-politics-and-christian-nationalism\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T15:02:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T19:02:12","slug":"christianitys-place-in-politics-and-christian-nationalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/03\/15\/christianitys-place-in-politics-and-christian-nationalism\/","title":{"rendered":"3. Christianity\u2019s place in politics, and \u2018Christian nationalism\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For our latest survey data about views of religion\u2019s role in public life,\u00a0read our 2026 report,\u00a0\u201cHow Americans Feel About Religion\u2019s Influence in Government and Public Life<\/a>.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most Americans express support for the principle of separation of church and state. And few say they think the federal government should declare Christianity to be the official religion of the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But many Americans do<\/em> think that even though the U.S. shouldn\u2019t officially be declared a Christian country, the federal government should<\/em> promote Christian moral values. And half of U.S. adults say they think the Bible should have at least some influence in U.S. laws, including 28% who say that if the Bible conflicts with the will of the people, the Bible should have more sway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fewer than half of U.S. adults say they have ever heard or read anything about Christian nationalism, including 5% who say they have a favorable view of it and 25% who say they have an unfavorable view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How much influence should the Bible have on U.S. laws?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

U.S. adults are divided over the amount of influence the Bible should have on the country\u2019s laws. About half of adults (49%) say the Bible should have \u201ca great deal\u201d (23%) or \u201csome\u201d influence (26%), while 51% say it should have \u201cnot much\u201d or \u201cnone at all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Table<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This is the third time we\u2019ve asked this question in the last four years, and responses have remained fairly steady over that time<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

White evangelical Protestants are more likely than adults in most other groups to say the Bible should have at least some influence on U.S. laws (86%) \u2013 including 55% who say the Bible should have \u201ca great deal\u201d of influence. A majority of Hispanic Protestants (78%) and Black Protestants (74%) also think the Bible should hold at least some influence on the country\u2019s laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By contrast, 80% of religiously unaffiliated adults, 79% of Jews and 57% of Muslims say the Bible should not<\/em> have influence on the laws of the United States. This includes 84% of atheists and 78% of agnostics who say the Bible should have no influence at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There also are large political divides on this topic. While 67% of Republicans and Republican leaners say the Bible should influence U.S. laws at least some, only 32% of Democrats and Democratic leaners share this opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Younger adults and college graduates are less likely than other adults to say that the Bible should have at least some influence on U.S. laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What should happen when the Bible and the will of the people conflict?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Respondents who said the Bible should have at least some influence on U.S. laws were asked a follow-up question: When the Bible and the will of the people conflict with each other, which should have more influence?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, 28% of U.S. adults say the Bible should have influence over U.S. laws and that it should take priority over the will of the people if the two conflict, while 19% say the Bible should have influence but that the will of the people should take precedence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

White evangelical Protestants and Hispanic Protestants are more likely than those in other religious groups to say the Bible should carry more weight in U.S. laws than the will of the people \u2013 64% and 61%, respectively, say the Bible should have more influence on laws when the Bible and the will of the people conflict. And 49% of Black Protestants voice this opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among Catholics, 24% say the Bible should have more influence than the will of the people if the two conflict, 23% say the will of the people should take precedence over the Bible, and 50% say the Bible should have little or no influence on U.S. laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Republicans are much more likely than Democrats to say the Bible should have more influence than the will of the people when the two conflict (42% vs. 16%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Table<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How much influence does the Bible have on U.S. laws today?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Distinct from their preferences on how much influence the Bible should<\/em> have on U.S. laws, a majority of adults (57%) say they think the Bible currently does have<\/em> at least some influence on this country\u2019s laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Table<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Atheists (86%) and agnostics (83%) are far more likely than people in other religious groups to say the Bible has influence on U.S. laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And 73% of Jewish respondents say the Bible has a great deal of or some influence over today\u2019s laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Black Protestants are the only group in which a clear majority says the Bible does not<\/em> currently have much influence on the country\u2019s laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Democrats are significantly more likely than Republicans to think the Bible has at least some influence on today\u2019s laws (67% vs. 48%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should the government stop enforcing church-state separation?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Just over half of Americans say the federal government should enforce the separation of church and state (55%) \u2013 virtually unchanged from when we asked this question three years ago<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Table<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, 16% of U.S. adults say the government should stop<\/em> enforcing church-state separation. And 28% of Americans say they have no opinion on this question or that neither option represents their views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost all atheists (95%) say church-state separation should continue to be enforced by the federal government. Agnostics (89%) and Jews (84%) also are widely in favor of continued enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, White evangelical Protestants are almost equally divided on this question: 35% say they favor federal enforcement of church-state separation, 31% say the government should stop <\/em>enforcing this separation, and 32% choose neither of these options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

White evangelical Protestants are more likely than any of the other religious groups in this analysis to say the government should stop <\/em>enforcing church-state separation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Republicans are about twice as likely as Democrats to say the federal government should stop <\/em>enforcing church-state separation (23% vs. 10%). But Republicans express more support for separation of church and state than opposition to it (43% vs. 23%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, a clear majority of Democrats support the government enforcing the separation of church and state (68%).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Americans with a college degree are significantly more likely than other adults to say the federal government should enforce the separation of church and state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should the federal government declare Christianity the country\u2019s official religion?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Survey respondents were asked to pick which of three statements best aligns with their views:<\/p>\n\n\n\n