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Religion plays significant part in US identity, study finds

4 February 20250 comments

Americans consider religion as a more significant part of US society and identity than people in most other high-income countries, a new study suggests.

Researchers at the Washington-based think tank the Pew Research Center surveyed almost 55,000 people from 35 countries in early 2024 seeking to discover the different levels of religious nationalism around the world.

Four key questions were asked in three dozen countries.

The answers across all 35 countries varied, as the research shows.

The results were impressive, showing that “fewer than 1 per cent of adults surveyed meet the criteria in Germany and Sweden, compared with more than four-in-ten in Indonesia (46 per cent) and Bangladesh (45 per cent),” when it comes to religious nationalism.

In the US, only 6 per cent of adults are shown to be religious nationalists.

But the country itself stands out compared to other high-income countries.

US adults are “more likely than people in any other high-income country surveyed to say the Bible currently has either a great deal or some influence over the laws of their country,” the study says.

This is a very interesting point, as it, in a way, coincides with the current, more nationalist sentiment that characterises the country since Donald Trump became President for the second time.

While this survey was conducted between January and May 2024, it does not only show what Americans really value, but it can also be considered a form of foreshadowing regarding what the US citizens look for in a leader.

The study reveals Americans are among the most likely of any high-income public to “say it’s very important for their country’s political leader to have strong religious beliefs”.

The survey affirms the mentality of US citizens towards religion, as it also highlights that people who place themselves on the “ideological right” are more likely to be “religious nationalists” than those who do not, when it comes to political ideologies.

Moreover, 12 per cent of US adults say it is “very important to have a president who shares their religious beliefs”.

Conservative Republicans (42 per cent) particularly stand out for believing that the Bible should have a significant influence on American policies and laws.

In Australia, seven per cent said that it was very important that the prime minister has strong religious beliefs, even if the beliefs differ from those of the people.

The survey also suggested that “people who live in middle-income countries are more likely than people in high-income countries to have a religious affiliation, to pray regularly and to say religion is important in their lives”.

As seen in the US, middle-income countries also want religious texts to have either a “great deal or a fair amount of influence on their country’s laws”.

Another noteworthy aspect of the results provided by the survey is that people with “lower levels of education are also somewhat more likely to be religious nationalists than those with higher levels of education”.

Also, older generations are more likely to express more conservative views, such as that being part of the country’s historically predominant religion was a very important piece of national identity.

Read more here: Religious Nationalism Around the World | Pew Research Center

Katerina Hatzi