Our Corner | Could the Religious Left Outgrow the Religious Right?
A new piece from The London Times explores how American Millennials may be re-shaping the country’s political and religious landscape, based both on an interview with PRRI CEO Robert P. Jones and findings from PRRI’s 2013 Economic Values Survey.
America’s Religious Right, one of the mightiest political forces in the country over the past three decades, is on course to be superseded by a new power bloc: the Religious Left.
A survey highlights a generational swing among young Americans. It shows that a quarter between the ages of 18 and 33 are “religious progressives” who hold liberal views on issues such as gay marriage and abortion.
In the same age bracket, only 17 per cent are religious conservatives, a group also more likely to read the Bible literally and be in favour of small government and lower taxes.
The data, which was collected by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), reveals a stark fracture in attitudes between the country’s oldest and youngest believers. Among Americans aged 66 and older, half are religious conservatives while only 12 per cent are religious progressives.
“What you clearly see when you move from the oldest Americans to youngest Americans is a decreased appeal in religious conservatism,” Robert Jones, the chief executive of the PRRI, said. “There is clearly a religious progressive constituency. Whether it can organise itself is an open question.”