Most Americans Want a More Religious Society, Gallup Finds

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A new Gallup survey challenges common assumptions about religion’s place in American life.

The new poll found that a large majority of Americans view religion as a positive force in society, with only about one-fourth saying greater religiosity would be harmful. Specifically, 65 percent of U.S. adults believe it would be positive for society if more Americans were religious, while 22 percent say it would be negative, 6 percent “neither,” and 7 percent have no opinion.

Support for greater religiosity extends across all political groups, though it is strongest among those on the right: 94 percent of Republicans, 59 percent of independents, and 51 percent of Democrats view it as beneficial to society.

Although those numbers remain relatively high, they represent a decline from 2013, when 75 percent of Americans said greater religiosity would be positive for society and 17 percent said it would be negative.

Republicans are slightly more likely to hold that view today than they were in 2013 (94 percent versus 91 percent), while support has fallen among independents and Democrats. In 2013, 71 percent of independents and 67 percent of Democrats said more religiosity would benefit society.

Still, the findings are notable given the growing tendency to view religion through a partisan political lens and the fact that church attendance has yet to return to its 2013 level, despite a rebound since 2019.

The poll also found that 39 percent of U.S. adults believe religion is increasing its influence on American life. That figure is among the highest Gallup has recorded in the past two decades, trailing only the 41 percent in December 2025 and the 40 percent in September 2006.

Meanwhile, Americans increasingly believe government policy shapes the nation's moral values. Nearly seven in 10 adults (69 percent) say government policies have a significant effect on moral values, up from 59 percent in 2006 and 58 percent in 1996.

But the issue becomes more complex when Americans are asked whether the federal government should play a role in promoting moral values. Today, 45 percent say it should, while 50 percent say it should not. Those numbers have changed little since 2006, when Americans were evenly split (48 percent to 48 percent). In 1996, however, public opinion leaned decisively in the opposite direction, with 60 percent saying the government should promote moral values and 38 percent saying it should not.

Photo Credit: Unsplash/JohnyVino

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

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