Survey Finds Religion in U.S. Less Dogmatic And More Diverse
Monday, June 23rd, 2008WASHINGTON, DC, July 23, 2008 (RNS and RPRS ): [HPI note: While the results of this telephone survey are representative of major tendencies in the USA, we remind our readers that telephone interviews tend to neglect non-native speakers, who can not or will not hold a fluent conversation on the phone. This could lead to an underestimation of groups such as Hindus.]
The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life today released its second report on the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, which finds that while many Americans are highly religious, most are not dogmatic in their approach to faith. “The fact that most Americans are not exclusive or dogmatic about their religion is a fascinating finding,” said Luis Lugo, director of the Pew Forum. “Most people will be surprised that a majority of adherents in nearly all religious traditions, including a majority of evangelical Protestants, say that there isn’t just one way to salvation or to interpret the teachings of their own faith.”
Based on telephone interviews conducted in English and Spanish with a nationally representative sample of more than 35,000 adults, it explores the social and political attitudes of religious groups, including members of many small religious traditions - such as Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, atheists and agnostics - not typically analyzed in public opinion surveys.
“Many religions — maybe even most — can be perceived as having an exclusivity clause: We’re right and therefore everybody else is wrong,” said John Green, a senior fellow with the Pew Forum. “What we’ve found is that many Americans apparently don’t invoke the exclusivity clause. While Americans may have firm religious commitments, most are unwilling to impose them on other people,” Green said.
Some highlights are:
You can read the study http://pewresearch.org/pubs/876/religion-america-part-two
