(RNS) — A new survey shows that more than half of Americans plan on praying before casting their vote and that religion is influencing whom they will support for president.
More than 1,000 respondents from across the United States were surveyed by RNS about their intentions and sentiments when it comes to voting in the 2024 election in November, with 52% saying they plan to pray before they vote, and 58% saying that religion will play an essential or important role in whom they support for president. Nearly a quarter (21%) say it will play an essential role.
The RNS survey shows that at least a quarter of respondents say religion plays a role in how both Republican and Democratic voters think or feel about these issues, including politics (34%), education (25%), global issues (27%) and charitable causes (27%).
About half said religion plays a mostly negative role in politics, but when it comes to other issues, it plays a largely positive role. For example, 85% say religion plays a positive role in charitable works, while 70% say the same for health care, 66% for education and 62% for global issues.
Religion is not only a factor in how Americans view different issues or in whom they will vote for. The survey shows that about 75% of respondents said their faith is helpful in dealing with the stress and uncertainties of this election season.
The survey also found that a large majority of respondents (84%) believe religion has caused divisions in the U.S., with 20% saying it has caused family conflict. Among Generation Z respondents, 36% report religion-based conflict within their family, and nearly one-third of millennials report the same.
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Virtually all respondents (nearly 90%) said it is somewhat to extremely important to understand different religions. This is boosted by the 80% of respondents — regardless of gender, income or generation — who said they have acquaintances or close friends of different faiths.
And while both the Democratic presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, and the Republican candidate, former President Donald J. Trump, have generally steered clear of discussing their own religious lives on the campaign trail, a majority of American voters are drawing on religion and prayer in their approach to the election, and plenty of religious groups are also weighing in.
In an NPR interview, NPR religion reporter Jason DeRose outlined several religious groups and organizations that have put out statements: “In September, Pope Francis said both abortion and demonizing migrants were sins. He said Catholics should consult their own consciences and vote for the, quote, ‘lesser of two evils.’ Now, that statement stands in stark contrast to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, who say abortion is the main issue Catholics should consider.
“Also, a group of evangelical Christians just last week put out a letter saying there isn’t one evangelical view on immigration, but that the Bible is clear in its command to care for migrants,” DeRose said, adding that “the Muslim group Emgage Action has endorsed Kamala. And then just this past weekend in D.C., the pro-Trump Family Research Council held its Pray Vote Stand Summit, which brought together evangelicals to rally for the Republican nominee.”