{"id":22770,"date":"2026-06-17T17:39:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-17T12:09:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/250-years-in-americans-prefer-religious-diversity\/"},"modified":"2026-06-17T17:39:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-17T12:09:14","slug":"250-years-in-americans-prefer-religious-diversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/250-years-in-americans-prefer-religious-diversity\/","title":{"rendered":"250 years in, Americans prefer religious diversity"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p><iframe title=\"Everlit Audio Player\" src=\"https:\/\/everlit.audio\/embeds\/artl_1Po8xtlLZqQ?client=wp&amp;client_version=3.1.5\" width=\"100%\" height=\"136px\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">(RNS) \u2014 Many of our nation\u2019s top leaders today openly pronounce their Christian faith. Some even read Scripture (or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/apr\/16\/hegseth-pulp-fiction-ezekiel-prayer\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">what they imply to be Scripture<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">) during official government briefings.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">But according to a new poll by the Public Religion Research Institute, 64% of Americans do not want to live in a primarily Christian nation. Instead, they prefer an America of many faiths without a Christian majority.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cThis is the antithesis of the Christian nationalist worldview, which essentially maintains that America was founded as a Christian nation, (and) it should remain a Christian nation,\u201d said Melissa Deckman, CEO of PRRI.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The survey, \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/prri.org\/research\/competing-visions-of-america-politics-religion-and-american-identity\/\">Competing Visions of America: Politics, Religion, and American Identity<\/a><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">,<\/span><\/i>\u201d <span data-contrast=\"auto\">was conducted online May 1-18 among a representative sample of 5,469 adults (age 18 and up) living in all 50 states.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4264503\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 640px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/?attachment_id=4264503\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-4264503\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4264503 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-PRRI-america-religious-pluralism-20260616-807x430.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"341\" srcset=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-PRRI-america-religious-pluralism-20260616-807x430.jpg 807w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-PRRI-america-religious-pluralism-20260616-427x228.jpg 427w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-PRRI-america-religious-pluralism-20260616-768x410.jpg 768w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-PRRI-america-religious-pluralism-20260616-300x160.jpg 300w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-PRRI-america-religious-pluralism-20260616-600x320.jpg 600w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-PRRI-america-religious-pluralism-20260616.jpg 1324w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\"\/><\/a> <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text edd-enabled\"><span class=\"caption\"><span>\u201c<\/span>Religious Pluralism or Christian Faith? By Party.<span>\u201d<\/span> Chart courtesy PRRI<\/span><span class=\"credit\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span>In addition, 77% of Americans say they would prefer the U.S. to be a nation made up of people from all over the world, a slight decrease from 80% in March 2025. Christian nationalism adherents (55%) and sympathizers (68%) are less likely to prefer a racially diverse nation over a nation primarily made up of people of Western European heritage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Efforts to strengthen the place of Christianity in the public square have gained currency in recent years, going beyond public statement into public policy. In Texas, the state Legislature <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2025\/05\/24\/ten-commandments-texas-schools-senate-bill-10\/\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">voted to require the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public school classroom<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> despite an ongoing legal battle over a similar law in Louisiana. And the Texas state education board approved<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/texas-bible-religion-schools-52b74577982b34ce2607b693bd51cae7\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">educational curricula for elementary schools that include stories from the Bible<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The results of this poll offer a rebuttal to such efforts, argues Deckman.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<hr\/>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Nevertheless, a sizable portion of the American population agrees with the efforts to infuse Christianity into the public square. An overwhelming majority (94%) of those most strongly committed to the worldview of Christian nationalism believe that being Christian is important to being truly American<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">. This group makes up roughly 11% of the total population of the US.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Similarly, 68% of white evangelical Protestants, President Donald Trump\u2019s most stalwart base of support, prefer a nation primarily made up of Christians. Majorities of all other religious groups surveyed prefer a nation made up of people belonging to a wide variety of religions, with the slight exception of Hispanic Protestants \u2014 51% favor a majority Christian nation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Positive associations with Christian nationalism have only risen in recent years, however. Around 48% of Republicans favorably view the term today, 12 percentage points more than in 2022. In fact, positive associations with the term \u201cChristian nationalism\u201d have risen across most religious and political groups since 2022. Hispanic Protestants, Black Protestants and Democrats are the only groups that saw favorable views of the term fall. Around<span class=\"apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><span><a href=\"https:\/\/prri.org\/research\/mapping-christian-nationalism-across-the-50-states-insights-from-prris-2025-american-values-atlas\/\">56% of Republicans today espouse some Christian nationalist views, alongside 25% of Independents and 17% of Democrats.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>But holding favorable views toward the term \u201cChristian nationalism\u201d does not necessarily translate to holding Christian nationalist views, Deckman clarified.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4264504\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 640px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/?attachment_id=4264504\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-4264504\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4264504 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-PRRI-christian-nationalism-favorability-20260616-807x487.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-PRRI-christian-nationalism-favorability-20260616-807x487.jpg 807w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-PRRI-christian-nationalism-favorability-20260616-427x258.jpg 427w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-PRRI-christian-nationalism-favorability-20260616-768x463.jpg 768w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-PRRI-christian-nationalism-favorability-20260616-300x181.jpg 300w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-PRRI-christian-nationalism-favorability-20260616-600x362.jpg 600w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-PRRI-christian-nationalism-favorability-20260616.jpg 1154w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\"\/><\/a> <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text edd-enabled\"><span class=\"caption\"><span>\u201c<\/span>Favorable Views of Christian Nationalism, 2022 and 2026, by Party.<span>\u201d<\/span> Chart courtesy of PRRI<\/span><span class=\"credit\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cWe found consistently over the four years of doing surveys of Americans overall, there\u2019s just no growth in the number of Americans who espouse Christian nationalist views. It\u2019s remained remarkably steady,\u201d said Deckman.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The rise in positive associations can be attributed to familiarity with and openness to the term, especially among those with high-ranking positions in the second Trump administration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"message-list_1781635007.234979\" aria-setsize=\"-1\">\n<div>\n<div aria-roledescription=\"message\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThere\u2019s more willingness to embrace that term among some conservative Republicans,\u201d said Deckman. Even so, those who do not espouse Christian nationalist views still outnumber those who do by roughly 2-to-1, Deckman emphasized.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">While Americans are divided on their vision of the ideal religious landscape, most say they are concerned for America\u2019s democratic future.\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">According to the poll, nearly 7 in 10 Americans believe that our nation\u2019s democratic rights and freedoms are under threat, including a majority of all political and religious groups. In fact, only 18% of Americans say they are extremely or very proud of the way democracy is working in America today.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat was really striking to me, as we\u2019re celebrating the nation\u2019s 250<span data-contrast=\"auto\">th<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> anniversary,\u201d Deckman noted.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Deckman chalked this up to the current administration\u2019s efforts to curtail people\u2019s free speech and right to protest, especially as evidenced by the events in Minneapolis over the winter and the killings of American citizens Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers while protesting.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<hr\/>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Perhaps unsurprisingly, the poll also detailed the way Americans diverge in their responses to that concern.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">For most Americans, it has meant reimagining America\u2019s place on the global stage. Support for the belief that God has granted America a special role in human history has fallen more than 15 percentage points since the mid-2010s, to roughly 44% today. The drop is most pronounced among Democrats, falling from 60% in 2012 to just 27% today.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_4264502\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 640px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/?attachment_id=4264502\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-4264502\"><img loading=\"lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4264502 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-PRRI-america-in-history-20260616-807x496.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"393\" srcset=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-PRRI-america-in-history-20260616-807x496.jpg 807w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-PRRI-america-in-history-20260616-427x262.jpg 427w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-PRRI-america-in-history-20260616-768x472.jpg 768w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-PRRI-america-in-history-20260616-300x184.jpg 300w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-PRRI-america-in-history-20260616-600x369.jpg 600w, https:\/\/religionnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/webRNS-PRRI-america-in-history-20260616.jpg 1214w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\"\/><\/a> <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text edd-enabled\"><span class=\"caption\"><span>\u201c<\/span>America\u2019s Special Role in Human History, 2012-2026, by Party.<span>\u201d<\/span> Chart courtesy of PRRI<\/span><span class=\"credit\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">White evangelical Protestants, on the other hand, have become more likely to agree \u2014 rising 7 percentage points to 75% today \u2014 alongside religiously unaffiliated Americans, rising 5 percentage points to 21% since 2022. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Republicans are also far more likely to have pride in their American identity and America\u2019s 250-year history than independents and Democrats \u2014 at least 30 percentage points more in both cases. More than three-quarters of white evangelical Protestants share that pride, alongside majorities of white Catholics, white mainline Protestants, Latter-day Saints, Hispanic Protestants and Jews. The unaffiliated and members of other non-Christian religions, as well as Black Protestants and Hispanic Catholics, are more likely to disagree. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 -->\n        <\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/religionnews.com\/2026\/06\/17\/new-poll-250-years-in-americans-prefer-religious-diversity\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(RNS) \u2014 Many of our nation\u2019s top leaders today openly pronounce their Christian faith. Some even read Scripture (or what they imply to be Scripture) during official government briefings.\u00a0 But according to a new poll by the Public Religion Research Institute, 64% of Americans do not want to live in a primarily Christian nation. Instead, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22771,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22770","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22770","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22770"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22770\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}