A new survey from the Pew Research Center shows that a 38 percent plurality of Americans think that political figures offer “too much expression of religious faith and prayer,” while 30 percent there aren’t enough and 25 percent say there is just the right ammount. The number of Americans that say religious talk is invoked too much is at the highest level that Pew has even tracked in ten years of numbers. From Pew:
Since October 2001, shortly after the 9/11 attacks, the rise in the number saying there has been too much religious expression by political leaders has been most pronounced among Democrats and independents. Nearly half of Democrats (46%) now say there has been too much discussion of religious faith and prayer by politicians, as do 42% of independents.
The number of Republicans expressing unease with the amount of politicians’ religious talk also has increased (from 8% in 2001 to 24% currently). But Republicans have consistently been less inclined than either Democrats or independents to say there has been too much religious talk from political leaders.
