Answer:
Americans agree that religion’s role in public life is ebbing. But while Republicans largely lament the trend, Democrats are split in their reactions.
A majority of U.S. adults who identify with or lean toward the GOP (63%) say that religion is losing influence in American life and that this is a “bad thing,” while just 7% say it is a “good thing,” according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. But there is no clear consensus among Democrats and Democratic leaners: Similar shares either say religion’s declining influence is a bad thing (27%) or a good thing (25%), while 22% say that it doesn’t make a difference. At the same time, a quarter (24%) feel that religion is gaining influence in society.
Overall, U.S. adults have widely differing assessments of the two major parties’ stances toward religion. A slim majority of Americans (54%) say the GOP is friendly toward religion, while just 13% say it is unfriendly. The prevailing view about the Democratic Party is that it is neutral toward religion (48%), while about three-in-ten Americans (31%) – including a clear majority of Republicans (61%) – say the Democratic Party is unfriendly toward religion. Most Republicans also say university professors (60%) and the news media (57%) are unfriendly toward religion, while Democrats largely say these institutions take a neutral stance.