Two of Three Americans Feel Religion Can Answer Most of Today's Problems

GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans are a fairly religious people: 61% say religion is very important in their lives, 68% are members of a church or synagogue, and 60% attend religious service on a regular basis (36% attend weekly or more often, 11% almost every week, and 13% about once a month). Thus, it is no surprise that a comparably high number of Americans -- 66% -- also say that religion can answer all or most of today's problems. Just 21% say religion is old-fashioned and out of date, while another 13% refrain from expressing an opinion on the matter.

These are the results of the latest Gallup poll conducted March 17-19, but the patterns have remained remarkably similar since Gallup began asking these questions, some as long as six decades ago. The number of Americans who belong to a church or synagogue, for example, was first measured in 1937, when 73% said they belonged, and that number has never gone below 64% in the intervening years. Some trends have remained stable for recent decades after an earlier decline, such as the number who say religion is "very" important in their lives. In 1978, 52% made that claim, and over the 22-year period since, that percentage has varied from a low of 52% to a high of 63%. Earlier, in 1965, Gallup found that 70% of Americans felt religion was "very" important, suggesting a decline in the latter part of the 1960s to the late 1970s, but not below a majority level.

A similar trend is found for the question that asks if religion can answer all or most of today's problems. In 1957, 82% said it could, but 17 years later a Gallup poll showed that the percentage had declined to 62%. From 1974 until now, however, the percentage has fluctuated mostly in the 60%+ range, from a low of 56% to a high of 68%, - suggesting no major change in the last quarter of a century.

Religion Not the Refuge Solely of the Poor and Down-Trodden
Some critics of religion have argued, along with Marx, that religion is the opiate of the masses, with the implication that poorer people with low levels of education are most susceptible to the appeals of religion as a substitute for economic well-being. But the poll suggests that -- at least in the United States -- belief in the power of religion to solve today's problems is not confined to people who are low on the socioeconomic ladder.

As shown in the table below, about six in 10 or more of each group believe that religion can answer today's problems, with college graduates holding this belief in about the same proportions as those with less than a high school education. High school graduates and those with some college education show the highest levels of belief, but these results hardly suggest that the least educated are most likely to believe in the relevance of religion to today's world.

		EDUCATION
Do you believe that religion can answer all or most of today's problems, or that religion is largely old-fashioned and out of date?	Overall	Less Than High School Graduate	High School Graduate	Some College	College Graduate	Post-Graduate
Yes	66%	58%	70%	71%	59%	62%
No	21	20	23	21	22	16
No opin. Total	13 100%	22 100%	7 100%	8 100%	19 100%	22 100%

A comparison of this attitude by income also shows few differences, with 76% of Americans earning under $20,000 a year saying that religion can answer today's problems, compared with 67% of those earning between $20,000 and $50,000 a year, and 63% among those earning more than $50,000 a year. While there is a slight decline as income increases, more than six in ten of those in the highest income category share the belief in the relevance of religion.

Survey Methods
The results reported here are based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,024 adults, 18 years and older, conducted March 17-19, 2000. For results based on the whole sample, one can say with 95 percent confidence that the maximum error attributable to sampling and other random effects is plus or minus 3 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

How important would you say religion is in your own life -- very important, fairly important, or not very important?

	Very important	Fairly important	Not very important	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2000 Mar 17-19	61	27	12	*

1999 Dec 9-12	61	27	11	1
1999 Apr 30-May 2	58	30	11	1
1998 Jun 22-23	62	25	12	1
1998 Jan 16-18	59	29	12	*
1997 Nov 6-9	58	28	13	1
1997 Aug 12-13	62	27	11	*
1997 Mar 24-26	61	27	11	1
1996 Nov 21-24	58	27	14	1
1996 Sep 3-5	55	31	13	1
1996 Jun 27-30	57	26	17	*
1995 Dec 15-18	60	28	12	*
1995 Aug 28-30	58	30	11	1
1995 May 11-14	56	30	13	1
1994 Dec 16-18	60	28	11	1
1994 Jun 25-28	55	30	14	1
1994 Mar 28-30	59	29	11	1
1993 Mar 12-14	59	32	9	*
1992 Nov 20-22	59	28	12	1
1992 Apr	58	29	13	*
1991 Nov	55	29	15	1
1991 May	57	30	13	*
1991 Mar	55	29	16	*
1991 Feb 7-10	60	29	11	*
1991 Jan 30-Feb 2	63	28	9	1
1990 Jun	58	29	13	*
1989	55	30	14	1
1988	54	31	14	1
1987	53	32	14	1
1986	55	30	14	1
1985	55	31	13	1
1984	56	30	13	1
1983	56	30	13	1
1982	56	30	13	1
1981	56	29	14	1
1980	55	31	13	1
1978	52	32	14	2
1965	70	22	7	1
1952^	75	20	5	*
^ Ben Gaffin and Associates

Do you happen to be a member of a church or synagogue?

	Yes	No
	%	%
2000 Mar 17-19	68	32

1999 Dec 9-12	68	32
1999 Apr 30-May 2	71	29
1998 Jun 22-23	70	30
1998 Jan 16-18	67	33
1997 Aug 12-13	68	32
1997 Mar 24-26	67	33
1996 Nov 21-24	66	34
1996 Sep 3-5	65	35
1996 Jun 27-30	64	36
1995 Dec 15-18	71	29
1995 Sep 22-24	66	34
1995 Aug 28-30	69	31
1995 May 11-14	69	31
1994 Dec 16-18	67	33
1994 Jun 25-28	68	32
1994 Mar 28-30	70	30
1993 Jun	65	35
1993 Mar	71	29
1992 Nov	70	30
1992 Apr	71	29
1991 Nov	69	31
1991 May	69	31
1991 Mar	66	34
1991 Feb	67	33
1990 Jun	69	31
1989	68	32
1988	65	35
1987	69	31
1985	71	29
1983	69	31
1982	67	33
1979	68	32
1976	71	29
1965	73	27
1952	73	27
1947	76	24
1944	75	25
1940	72	28
1937	73	27

Did you, yourself, happen to attend church or synagogue in the last seven days, or not?

	Yes	No
	%	%
2000 Mar 17-19	44	56

1999 Dec 9-12	45	55
1999 Apr 30-May 2	40	60
1998 Jun 22-23	40	60
1998 Jan 16-18	39	61
1997 Aug 12-13	35	65
1997 Mar 24-26	43	57
1996 Nov 21-24	39	61
1996 Sep 3-5	37	63
1996 Jun 27-30	38	62
1995 Dec 15-18	44	56
1995 Aug 28-30	42	57
1995 May 11-14	41	59
1994 Dec 16-18	38	62
1994 Jun 25-28	40	60
1994 Mar 28-30*	48	52
1993 Jun	38	62
1993 Mar	41	59
1992 Nov	40	60
1992 Apr	41	59
1991 Nov	41	59
1991 May	43	57
1991 Mar	43	57
1990 Jun	40	60
1989	43	57
1988	42	58
1987	40	60
1985	42	58
1983	40	60
1982	41	59
1981	41	59
1979	40	60
1972	40	60
1969	42	58
1967	43	57
1962	46	54
1958	49	51
1957	47	53
1955	49	51
1954	46	54
1950	39	61
1940	37	63
1939	41	59
* Conducted between Palm Sunday and Easter

How often do you attend church or synagogue -- At least once a week, almost every week, about once a month, seldom, or never?

	At least once a week	Almost every week	About once a month	Seldom	Never	No opinion
	%	%	%	%	%	%
2000 Mar 17-19	36	11	13	30	10	*

2000 Jan 7-10	32	12	13	29	13	1
1999 Dec 9-12	36	12	16	28	8	*
1999 Sept 10-14	31	13	14	27	14	1
99 Apr 30-May 2	30	14	18	28	9	1
98 Jun 22-23	32	13	19	26	9	1
98 Jan 16-18	32	12	15	30	10	1
97 Aug 12-13	29	12	17	29	12	1
97 Mar 24-26	30	13	17	30	9	1
96 Nov 21-24	28	11	17	33	10	1
96 Sep 3-5	29	12	16	32	10	1
96 Jun 27-30	27	13	13	34	13	*
96 Jan 12-15	33	12	15	28	11	1
95 Dec 15-18	34	11	16	17	10	1
95 Sep 22-24	31	13	14	31	11	*
95 Aug 28-30	30	13	17	31	8	1
95 May 11-14	30	12	17	31	10	*
94 Dec 16-18	30	12	16	31	11	*
94 Jun 25-28	32	14	17	27	10	*
94 Mar 28-30	35	15	16	25	9	*
92 Sep 11-15	34	10	15	26	14	1
92 Jan 3-6	31	9	15	29	16	1

Do you believe that religion can answer all or most of today's problems, or that religion is largely old-fashioned and out of date?

	Can answer	Old fashioned	No opinion
	%	%	%
2000 Mar 17-19	66	21	13

1999 Dec 9-12	68	19	13
1999 Apr 30-May 2	66	21	11
1998 Jun 22-23	63	20	17
1998 Jan 16-18	67	20	13
1997 Aug 12-13	66	20	14
1997 Mar 24-26	61	20	19
1995 Dec 15-18	61	21	18
1994 Jun 25-28	59	23	18
1994 Mar 28-30	64	20	16
1991 Feb	61	25	14
1991 May	59	23	19
1991 Mar	60	22	17
1990 Jun	63	18	19
1989 Apr	61	18	22
1988 May	57	29	23
1986 Sep	58	23	20
1985 Nov	58	24	18
1985 Mar	61	22	17
1984 Jun	56	21	23
1982 Dec	60	22	18
1981 Jan	65	15	20
1974 Dec	62	20	18
1957 Mar	82	7	11

At the present time, do you think religion as a whole is increasing its influence on American life or losing its influence?

	Increasing its influence	Losing its influence	SAME (vol.)	No opinion
	%	%	%	%
2000 Mar 17-19	37	58	--	5

1999 Dec 9-12	40	54	3	3
1999 Apr 30-May 2	32	62	3	3
1998 Jun 22-23	37	56	4	3
1998 Jan 16-18	48	48	1	3
1997 Aug 12-13	36	60	1	3
1997 Mar 24-26	36	57	3	4
1995 Dec 15-18	38	57	2	3
1995 May 11-14	36	58	3	3
1994 Jun 25-28	28	67	2	3
1994 Mar 28-30	27	69	2	2
1992 Nov 20-22	27	63	4	5
1991 Nov	27	66	3	4
1991 May	34	57	--	9
1990 Jun	33	48	8	11
1989 Apr	33	49	9	9
1988 Mar	36	49	6	9
1986 Sep	48	38	6	7
1985 Nov	45	41	--	14
1985 Mar	48	39	10	3
1984 Jun	42	39	14	6
1983 Oct	44	42	9	5
1983 Jan	44	42	9	5
1982 Dec	41	45	9	5
1981 Dec	38	47	10	6
1980 Apr	35	46	11	8
1978 Dec	37	48	10	5
1977 Dec	37	45	10	9
1976 Dec	44	45	8	3
1975 Dec	39	51	7	3
1974 Dec	31	56	8	5
1970 Jan	14	75	7	4
1969 May	14	71	11	5
1968 Apr	19	67	8	7
1967 Mar	23	57	14	6
1965 Feb	33	45	13	8
1962 Feb	45	32	17	7
1957 Mar	69	14	10	6

What is your religious preference -- Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish or an Orthodox religion such as the Greek or Russian Orthodox Church?

	Prot- estant	Cath- olic	Jew- ish	Ortho- dox	Mor- mon	Other spe- cific	None	Un- desig- nated
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
2000 Mar	58	26	2	1	1	2	6	4
2000 Jan	59	25	2	1	2	2	7	2
1999 Dec	55	29	2	*	2	2	9	1
1999 Sept	55	28	1	1	1	4	8	2
1999 Apr	59	27	2	1	2	3	5	1
1998 Jun	59	27	2	1	1	3	5	2
1998 Jan	58	26	1	2	1	4	6	2
1997 (*)	58	26	2	1	1	4	6	2
1996 (*)	58	25	3	1	1	3	7	2
1995 (*)	56	27	2	1	1	5	6	2
1994 (*)	60	24	2	1	1	4	6	2
1993 (*)	57	26	1	2	1	5	6	2
1992 (*)	56	26	2	1	1	5	7	2
1991	56	25	2	na	na	6	11	na
1990	56	25	2	na	na	6	11	na
1988/89	56	28	2	na	na	4	10	na
1987	57	28	2	na	na	4	9	na
1986	58	27	2	na	na	4	9	na
1985	57	28	2	na	na	4	9	na
1984	57	28	2	na	na	4	9	na
1983	56	28	2	na	na	4	9	na
1982	57	29	2	na	na	4	8	na
1981	59	28	2	na	na	4	7	na
1980	61	28	2	na	na	2	7	na
1979	59	29	2	na	na	2	8	na
1977/78	60	29	2	na	na	1	8	na
1976	61	27	2	na	na	4	6	na
1975	62	27	2	na	na	4	6	na
1974	60	27	2	na	na	5	6	na
1972	63	26	2	na	na	4	5	na
1967	67	25	3	na	na	3	2	na
1962	70	23	3	na	na	2	2	na
1957	66	26	3	na	na	1	3	na
1952	67	25	4	na	na	1	2	na
1947	69	20	5	na	na	1	6	na
(*) Based on annual aggregate data
Question Wording: 1947-July 15, 1977: "What is your religious -- is it Protestant, Roman Catholic or Jewish?" July 16, 1977-1996: "What is your religious preference -- is it Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, or an Orthodox religion such as the Greek or Russian Orthodox Church?"

Would you describe yourself as "born-again" or evangelical?

	Yes	No	No opinion
	%	%	%
00 Mar 17-19	46	47	7

1999 Dec 9-12	46	48	6
1999 Apr 30-May 2	45	47	8
1998 Jun 22-23	44	48	8
1998 Jan 16-18	49	43	8
1997 Aug 12-13	45	47	8
1997 Mar 24-26	43	51	6
1996 Nov 21-24	41	52	7
1996 Sep 3-5	42	52	6
1996 Jun 27-30	35	58	7
1995 Dec 15-18	43	52	5
1995 Aug 28-30	39	54	7
1995 May 11-14	39	53	8
1994 Jun 25-28	39	53	8
1994 Mar 28-30	45	48	7
1993 Mar	46	50	4
1992 Apr	42	52	6
1991 Nov	41	54	5
* November 1991-March 1997 WORDING: Would you describe yourself as a "born-again" or evangelical Christian?

Two of Three Americans Feel Religion Can Answer Most of Today's Problems

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