Article By Ian M. Giatti
The share of Americans who say it would be a benefit for society if more Americans were religious has fallen to just under two-thirds, a decline driven largely by women, Democrats and adults under 54, a new survey suggests.
The Gallup Values and Beliefs survey, conducted May 1 to May 17 with a random sample of 1,001 adults across all 50 states, found that 65% of U.S. adults say it would “be positive for society” if more Americans identified as religious, down 10 points from 2013.
By comparison, 22% of respondents said greater religiosity would negatively impact society. The rest either had no opinion or did not believe that a more religious America would have an impact either way.
Among key religious and political demographic groups identified in the report, only Republicans (94%), Catholics (85%) and Protestants/non-denominational Christians (81%) believe religion would positively impact the nation.
Democrats, young adults and women were among those who showed the most significant changes since 2013, according to the data.
The share of women who believed an increase in religious people would have a positive impact in the U.S. fell by 16% since 2013, compared with just a 3% decline among men in the same period.
In 2013, 77% of women recognized religion as a positive force, compared to 73% of men. In Gallup’s latest poll, the number of women who see religion as a positive cultural force fell to 61%, compared to 70% for men.
Fewer than half of respondents aged 18 to 34 (49%) said that increased religiosity would be a positive for society, down 16 percentage points from 2013. Respondents ages 35 to 54 who say religion would have a positive impact on society fell from 80% in 2013 to 66% in 2026.
Democratic respondents who say increased religiosity will positively impact society also fell 16 percentage points to 51%. Meanwhile, the share of Republican respondents who say a rise in religion would positively impact society increased 3 percentage points to 94% in 2026.
Nearly half of Republican voters see an increasing influence on society, up from just 11% before President Donald Trump’s second term. More independents (39%, up from 21%) and slightly more Democrats (35%, compared to 32%) also believe religion has become more influential.
The perceived moral influence of the U.S. government followed similar trends: 69% of U.S. adults say government policies influence moral values, up from 59% in 2006. Nearly a third of respondents (27%) disagree that government policies have a significant impact on morality.
While the survey found all major demographic groups were more likely than 20 years ago to agree that government policies influence American values, Republicans, Catholics, young adults and those who attend religious services at least once a week are now the most likely to believe government policies can influence people’s values.
Overall, Gallup pollsters found fewer Americans believe the government should promote moral values in the U.S., even as Americans are more divided than ever along party and religious lines. In 1996, Gallup notes that Democrats and Republicans held similar views in favor of the government’s promotion of moral values.
“The poll comes at a time when a Republican presidential administration has sought to elevate the role of religion in public life, including by establishing the White House Office of Faith, beginning government meetings with Christian prayers, and encouraging federal workers to express their faith in the workplace,” Gallup Senior Editor Jeffrey M. Jones notes in the findings.
The Gallup poll mirrored a similar survey published in May by the Pew Research Center, which found a majority of American adults see faith in public life as a positive thing, even though more than half of them think conservative Christians have gone too far in pushing their values in government and school. An almost equal number of Americans also believe secular liberals have gone too far in opposing religion in public life.
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