US Public Opinion regarding Religious Involvement in Politics

Abstract

Religion continues to play a role in public policy debate in the United States. The Supreme Court’s legalization of same-sex marriage, the contraceptive mandate of the Affordable Care Act, and questions regarding the accommodation of religious views of traditionalists who oppose LGBT cultures continue. Publicized controversies, as well as survey research, indicate there is considerable disagreement regarding the church-state relationship.1 The appropriate role of religion in the political arena has been the subject of debate since the nation’s founding.2 Nevertheless, knowledge is limited regarding public opinion surrounding this issue.3 Using data from the 1991, 1998, and 2008 General Social Survey (GSS), we focus on attitudes toward the behavior of religious leaders, specifically whether it is appropriate for religious leaders to try to influence how people vote and whether religious leaders should try to influence government decisions. We suspect a change in attitudes towards clergy because there was considerable public debate regarding the relationship between religion and politics during the administration of these three GSS surveys. Christian conservatives were highly visible, mobilizing voters and distributing millions of voter guides and congressional scorecards.4 Scholars and the popular press both gave credit to the Christian conservative movement for some electoral victories, including the 1994 mid-term election when Republicans won both chambers of Congress.5 During the eight years of the George W. Bush administration, many were disturbed by what they viewed as overt sectarianism. Bush developed the Faith-Based Initiative, and his perspective on science and social policies reflected the views of conservative Christians.6 Critics contended that evangelical and fundamentalist Christians exerted too much influence on foreign policy decisions. Indeed, some argued that the decision to invade Iraq resulted from Bush’s belief that he must act as God’s agent during the end of time prophesized by the Christian Bible.7 At the local level, Christian conservatives elected to school boards faced controversy when they attempted to bring back prayer into schools and change the curriculum to reflect their religious values.8 In the states, opposition to same-sex marriage, abortion rights, and end-of-life legislation was primarily fueled by religious groups. Also, beginning in the mid-1990s there was a significant increase in the number of states adopting Religious Freedom Restoration Acts.9 Critics contended that these laws blur the boundary between church and state.10