While left-leaning media have launched a series of articles and think pieces about their new boogeyman, “Christian nationalism” (see here, here, and here), public perception of the supposed phenomenon has remained stable, a new Pew Research Center survey found.
“In recent years, ‘Christian nationalism’ has received a great deal of attention as an ideology that some critics have said could threaten American democracy,” according to the survey report:
Despite growing news coverage of Christian nationalism – including reports of political leaders who seem to endorse the concept – the new survey shows that there has been no change in the share of Americans who have heard of Christian nationalism over the past year and a half. Similarly, the new survey finds no change in how favorably U.S. adults view Christian nationalism.
Overall, less than half (45 percent) of U.S. adults have heard or read about “Christian nationalism,” including 25 percent who have an unfavorable view of it. The survey did not appear to explicitly define what “Christian nationalism” is as an ideology, instead leaving it as a more nebulous term with associations.
Only five percent have a favorable view of it, while 54 percent say they have not heard of “Christian nationalism” at all.
The survey further found that 49 percent of Americans say the Bible should have a “great deal” or “some” influence on U.S. laws. Conversely, 51 percent say it should have “not much” or “no influence,” the survey found.
“And 28 percent of U.S. adults say the Bible should have more influence than the will of the people if the two conflict,” the survey found. “These numbers have remained virtually unchanged over the past four years.”
Only 16 percent say the government should not enforce the separation of church and state, a percentage which has not changed much since 2021, according to the survey:
In response to a separate question, 13 percent of U.S. adults say the federal government should declare Christianity the official religion of the U.S., and 44 percent say the government should not declare the country a Christian nation but should promote Christian moral values. Meanwhile, 39 percent say the government should not elevate Christianity in either way.
Overall, 22 percent of respondents “[express] one of these three views that are often associated” with “Christian nationalism.” Sixty-two percent express none of the views associated with it.
The same survey found that 80 percent of U.S. adults say religion’s role in American life is shrinking, “a percentage that’s as high as it’s ever been,” according to the poll report. Nearly half (49 percent) say the decline of religious influence in public life is a “bad thing.” Eight percent say religious influence is “growing and this is good.”
The Pew Research Center poll was conducted with 12,693 respondents between February 13-25, 2024. The margin of sampling error is ± 1.5 percentage points.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
