God Gap
We know Americans have become less religious. Surprising new data shows us where.
By Ryan Burge — April 12, 2023
(RNS) — North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa and Michigan saw drops in total religious adherents of at least 10%.
The age of nones may favor churches that welcome doubters
By Ryan Burge — January 14, 2020
(RNS) — Can people who are plagued with doubt feel welcomed by a church that is filled with those who are certain about what they believe?
Do the Democrats have a religion problem?
By Mark Silk — October 31, 2019
(RNS) — With the rise of the religiously unaffiliated, the God gap matters less and less. Will the Democrats find a way to strike a new spiritual chord on the environment?
Religious voters turning away from Trump
By Mark Silk — October 21, 2016
(RNS) The so-called "God gap" has shrunk -- though not for congressional Republicans -- while the gender gap has grown.
Yellow dog Republicans and the disappearing God gap
By Mark Silk — July 14, 2016
The big news from Pew.
God Gap a white thing
By Mark Silk — December 13, 2009
The Religion News Service consigns it to the Dept. of Things We Already Knew, but Gallup’s new survey of religion and party i.d. is more noteworthy than that. For starters, it makes clear that the God Gap (i.e. the preference of the more religious for Republicans and the less religious for Democrats) is almost entirely […]
Profile of the Nones
By Mark Silk — September 21, 2009
The latest report is out from the 2008 Trinity American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS)–a profile of the country’s no-religion population. For political junkies, the big news is that whereas in 1990, Democratic Nones outnumbered Republican Nones by just 4-to-3, they now outnumber them nearly 3-1. That’s because virtually all the new Nones–those born after 1973, […]
Attending to Political ID
By Mark Silk — May 19, 2009
What to make of the findings on political identification and church attendance in Gallup’s new survey on the Flight from the GOP in the 21st century? The headline is that the only demographic group showing no flight are the frequent church attenders–those who say they go to church at least once a week. What’s odd […]
The Prop 8 Gap
By Mark Silk — January 9, 2009
A newly released report by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute, based on post-election polling, has reanimated the debate over whether or not African Americans were responsible for the passage of Proposition 8, the ballot initiative reestablishing California’s ban on gay marriage. The principal news is that 58 percent of African-American voters, […]
Results! The Gap
By Mark Silk — November 5, 2008
It will be widely noted that the God Gap, as measured by the partisan preference of frequent (weekly or more often) worship attenders, shrank from 20 points in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections to 12 points this time around. And some may be inclined to credit this year’s focus on religious outreach by Obama […]
Gallup Gap
By Mark Silk — October 27, 2008
Gallup’s got the skinny on the God Gap. It’s what you thought. The news? Palin’s done nothing to enhance McCain’s margin among frequent worshiping white voters. Of course, she may turn out to have helped turn them out. But since we won’t know how they would have turned out in her absence, we won’t actually […]
Granite State Gap
By Mark Silk — October 27, 2008
Michael Paulson calls attention to the Gap Gap, as disclosed in the Boston Globe‘s new New Hampshire poll. Namely: respondents who say they attend worship once a week or more break 52-40 for McCain. The trouble is, they make up only 23 percent of the state’s voting population, and all other groups break for Obama […]
Show me
By Mark Silk — October 13, 2008
SUSA’s new Missouri poll has Obama up by eight points, 51-43. That’s a 13-point turnaround from SUSA’s end-of-July poll, when McCain led 49-44. Looking at worship attendance, Obama improved his standing with all SUSA categories–regular and occasional attenders, and those who almost never darken a house of worship’s door. But not at the same rate. […]
Virginia by SUSA
By Mark Silk — September 22, 2008
Impressive numbers (51-45) for Obama out of Virginia, including those showing him trailing McCain by only 11 points among frequent worship attenders. Among the less frequent, the gap is over 20 points. This ain’t your grandfather’s Dominion.
Up for Grabs
By Mark Silk — September 9, 2008
A little evidence that the God Gap has increased since Sarah Palin’s nomination comes from the latest SUSA poll of Washington State. Compared to SUSA’s last Washington State poll of a month ago, the gap among regular attenders has increased by three points, from 59-36 for McCain to 61-35. Among those who almost never attend, […]
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