Rising Number Say Religion Losing Influence At the present time, do you think religion as a whole is increasing its influence on American life or losing its influence?
Although there has always been a separation of church and state in the U.S., it has never prevented religion and religious groups from playing a big role in the country’s political life. Now, as the nation heads into midterm elections, a new Pew Research Center survey finds that many Americans support a role for religion in the political arena and lament what they see as religion’s declining influence in society.
A growing percentage of U.S. adults (now 72%) think that religion is losing influence in American life. Moreover, most people who feel this way think this is a bad thing. Overall, a majority (56%) of the total U.S. population perceives religion as losing influence in American life and says that’s a bad thing.
Rising Number Say Religion Losing  | Influence  | At the present time, do you think religion as a  | whole is increasing its influence on American life  | or losing its influence?  | 80%  | 72%  | Losing influence  | 60  | 52  | 40  | Increasing influence  | 22%  | 20  | 02 103  | 106  | 10  | 12  | 14  | Survey conducted Sept. 2-9, 2014.  | Don 't know/refused responses not shown.  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 