US politics more religious than voters

Has America gotten more religious, or just American politics? The country has grown less religious since the 1970s.

As a result, faith-filled rhetoric and campaign stops make Americans appear more Christian than they really are, according to Mark Chaves, a Duke University professor of sociology and religion. Using data collected between 1972 and 2008, Chaves said America is not only losing its religion but also has lost confidence in religious leaders and wants them to be less involved in politics. The findings — along with new research by Harvard professor Robert D. Putnam and Notre Dame professor David E. Campbell, co-authors of “American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us” — paint a shifting portrait of American politics. Some core American beliefs have remained stable over the past two generations, however, including belief in a higher power, the afterlife and the belief that God is personally concerned with human beings.

“Compared to Europe, Canada and Australia, Americans are still very religious,” Chaves conceded.

Among the other findings in “American Religion”:
• There is a declining (though still very high) belief in God or a higher power: In the 1950s, 99 percent of Americans said they believed in God; in 2008, about 93 percent did.

• Nearly 20 percent of Americans now say they have no religion, compared to just 3 percent in 1957.

• Only 25 percent of Americans attend weekly religious services, although up to 40 percent claim they do.

• Fewer Americans approve of their religious leaders getting involved in politics. In 1991, about 30 percent of Americans strongly agreed that religious leaders should avoid political involvement; by 2008, 44 percent felt that way.

• Belief that the Bible should be taken literally dropped from about 40 percent in the early 1970s to about 30 percent in 2008; Chaves said this trend corresponds with the rise in college education.

• From 1972 to 2008, the percentage of people with great confidence in religious leaders declined from 35 percent to less than 25 percent. A sharp dip around 2002 was probably due to the Catholic Church clergy abuse scandal, but otherwise the trend has consistently been downward for decades, along with interest in joining the clergy. (RNS)