Religious Affiliation in the 114th Congress Religious affiliation of the general population and the 114th Congress, by region
People often elect politicians who are like them. Indeed, a regional comparison of members of Congress with the general public shows that, when it comes to religious affiliation, representatives often share their faith with many of their constituents.
Across the four major U.S. regions (as determined by the Census Bureau), there are correlations between the share of the general public affiliated with certain religious groups and the percentage of members of the House and Senate with the same affiliation, a new Pew Research Center analysis finds. And in some cases where a region has a clear majority or a larger-than-average share belonging to one group, the result is an even larger share of members of that group in Congress.
For instance, the South has the highest percentage of self-identified Christians in the general population (78%) compared with the Northeast, Midwest and West. The South also has the highest share of Christians serving in Congress (96%). The same holds true among Protestants: The South has the highest percentage of Protestants in the general population (61%) and in Congress (76%).
In the Northeast, there are relatively few Protestants among members of Congress (33%) as well as the general population (35%). The Northeast has a higher percentage of Roman Catholics (32%) than any other region, and also has by far the biggest share of Catholic members of Congress (57%). In addition, the Northeast has the highest percentage of Jews in the general population (4%) as well as in Congress (9%).
Religious Affiliation in the 114th Congress  | Religious affiliation of the general population and the 114th Congress, by region  | MIDWEST  | NORTHEAST  | WEST  | SOUTH  | % of population % of Congress  | 86  | 96  | Christian  | 67  | 74  | 92  | 78  | 68  | 91  | 37  | 45  | 51  | 60  | 61  | 76  | 35  | 33  | Protestant  | 23  | 28  | 31  | 19  | 32  | Catholic  | 22  | 16  | 57  | 6 H12  | Mormon  | Jewish  | 2  | Other faiths  | Unaffillated  | 25  | 20  | 16  | Don't know/ refused  | 2  | 21  | Sources: Figures for Congress based on data collected by CQ Roll Call and the Pew Research Center. General public data  | comes from aggregated Congress Pew Research Center surveys in 2013  | Note: The other faiths" cate gory includes Grimm, (but is not limited to) Muslims, intention Hindus, Buddhists and Unita rians This ana lysis was  | completed be fore Rep Michael G. Grimm, R-N.Y, announced his intention to resign effective Jan. 5, 2015  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 