Voters favor equal treatment for religious charities addressing social needs
By Charles Haynes
Senior scholar, First Amendment Center
09.24.00
Religion is the hot topic of campaign 2000. There's plenty of God-talk on the campaign trail, especially from the first Jewish candidate on a major party ticket.
And both Al Gore and George Bush are pushing for more cooperation between government and religious communities in efforts to address drug abuse, poverty and other social ills.
What do the voters think about this? A poll released this week by the Pew Research Center and the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life provides some insights that politicians might find instructive.
According to this survey, 70% of Americans think that it's important for a president to have strong religious beliefs. But that doesn't mean people want to hear a lot about them. A surprising 50% say that they are uncomfortable when politicians discuss how religious they are.
Americans also are ambivalent about the involvement of religious institutions in politics. A bare majority, 51%, thinks that churches should express views on political issues. But 64% don't want clergy discussing political issues from the pulpit.
Senator Lieberman's candidacy has provoked a new round of discussion about how Americans view various religious groups. The Pew survey reports that Jews are viewed favorably by 77% of the population, about the same percentage as see Catholics favorably (78%). Evangelical Christians have a 63% favorability rating, up from 41% in 1996.
Two other groups don't fare as well. Only 50% view Muslim Americans favorably, while 21% see Muslims unfavorably. (Twenty-nine percent say they can't give an opinion.) The favorability rating for atheists is a mere 32%. Fully 52% of Americans view atheists unfavorably.
What about partnerships between government and religious groups? Both Republicans and Democrats support expanding "charitable choice," legislation that allows religious organizations to apply for government funds to provide social services. How do voters feel about this? It depends on how the question is phrased.
When asked if they favor "giving government funding to religious organizations so they can provide social services," only 54% say yes. But if the question is recast as "allowing religious organizations to apply, along with other organizations, for government funding to provide social services," those in favor go up to 67%.
Political parties take note: It matters how you frame the issue. Many Americans seem to be uncertain about the wisdom of government money going directly to religious organizations. But a strong majority appears to support equal treatment of all charitable groups — religious and non-religious — in the process of applying for government funds to offer job training, drug treatment and similar programs.
Support for charitable choice is hardly surprising, given the number of Americans involved in religious communities. Sixty-one percent attend worship services at least once or twice a month, and 45% go at least once a week. A large majority of Americans (72%) believe that religious institutions help solve social problems.
These statistics suggest that the United States remains a religious nation, particularly when compared to comparably developed countries in Europe and elsewhere. That surely explains why so many Americans have a generally positive view of the role of religion in public life.
At the same time, however, most voters don't want to hear partisan politics from the pulpit. And they're fairly evenly divided about whether or not religious institutions should take a stand on political questions.
Apparently voters want political leaders to be religious but not to talk about their faith too much. And they want their religious institutions and leaders to address social problems but not to embrace partisan politics.
All of which is to say that politicians and clergy find themselves in a balancing act as the debate continues over the appropriate role for religion in the political life of the nation.
Your questions and comments are welcome. Write to:
Charles Haynes
The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center
1101 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA 22209
E-mail: chaynes@freedomforum.org