A Barna poll that was commissioned by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) revealed that more Americans believe religious freedom has worsened over the last decade. The poll was carried out online with a representative sample of 1,000 American adults.
Practicing Christian Millennials and those belonging to Gen-x were found to be among the most concerned.
“Americans should be able to disagree over issues without using government to force one another out of jobs or into jail,” said ADF Director of Alliance Relations Alison Howard. “It makes sense that Millennials have greater concerns about the loss of religious freedom, as the erosion of freedom has increased in our lifetime more rapidly than in any generation before us. We’ve grown up seeing bakers, photographers, CEOs, florists, sportscasters, professors, and fire chiefs get attacked and pushed out of their careers because of their peacefully-expressed moral convictions. We’ve seen the consequences of heavy-handed government and reckless court rulings on individuals, families, businesses, and our most precious freedoms.”
According to the poll, 41 percent Americans believe that the state of religious freedom has only worsened over the last 10 years when 33 percent respondents happened to share such a viewpoint. Even though this concern seemed to be more prevalent among Christians at 52 percent, Americans of other faiths also expressed similar fears. While the numbers increased from 19 percent to 32 percent for all other religions; atheists, agnostics and the religiously unaffiliated saw a rise from 23 percent to 32 percent.
The poll also found:
- 55 percent practicing Christian Millennials believe religious freedom has worsened since 2012.
- 56 percent practicing Christian Millennials express concern about the future of religious freedom in America.
- 60 percent Christian Gen-xers believe religious freedom has worsened since 2012.
“As a Millennial myself,” Howard added, “these findings reveal hope that the next generation of leaders will understand the need to always respect our basic freedoms and for common-sense accommodations for people of faith when necessary.”
While Barna is a research organization that focuses on the intersection of faith and culture, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is a non-profit legal group that promotes Americans’ right to freely practice any religion they desire.
Photo Credits: Unite the USA
