Majority of Americans Say It Would Be Good for Society If More People Were Religious: Poll

However, this figure is down from the number who expressed the same opinion when asked by the polling firm in 2013, Gallup noted.

Victoria Friedman

Published: 6/16/2026, 5:14:09 PM EDT

Majority of Americans Say It Would Be Good for Society If More People Were Religious: Poll — A man prays following an Ash Wednesday Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington, on Feb. 22, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

A majority of U.S. adults (65 percent) say they believe that it would be good for society if more Americans were religious, according to a poll by Gallup.

Gallup’s Values and Beliefs survey, released on June 16, found a substantial gap between the sexes, with 70 percent of men agreeing that more religiosity would be good for the country, compared with 61 percent of women.

By age grouping, the younger generations were least likely to agree, with less than half (49 percent) of 18- to 34-year-olds saying it would be good if more Americans had a faith, compared with 66 percent of 35- to 54-year-olds and three in four (75 percent) of those aged 55 and over.

In terms of political affiliation, the vast majority of Republicans (94 percent) thought that having more religious people would be better for the United States, followed by independents (59 percent), and Democrats (51 percent).

“Nonreligious people are the only major subgroup that believes increased religiousness would be negative (55 percent) rather than positive (27 percent) for the nation,” pollsters said of the findings of their survey, conducted between May 1 and 17.

Proportion Down From 2013

While nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of Americans say that more religiosity would be good for the country, Gallup noted that this proportion is down from the 75 percent of U.S. adults who expressed the same opinion when asked by the polling firm in 2013.

This 10-point shift reflects changes in opinion in most key demographic and political groups, mostly dramatically among women, 18- to 34-year-olds, those with some college, and Democrats—with all those groups shifting opinion by negative 16 points.

The only exceptions were Catholics (up 5 percent), those with no religious affiliation (up 3 percent), and Republicans (also up 3 percent).

The decline mirrors the decrease in religious sentiment across the United States.

According to Gallup findings from March, less than half (47 percent) of Americans say that religion is “very important” in their lives. The reading has been gradually declining from 58 percent in 2012. In 1952, this proportion was 75 percent, and 70 percent in 1965.

Religion Increasing Influence

The latest survey also found that Americans see religion increasing its influence in life in the United States, with 39 percent of U.S. adults saying religion’s influence is on the rise. This is among the highest readings in the past two decades, only lower than 41 percent in December 2025 and 40 percent in September 2006.

“The recent increase began after Republican Party victories in the 2024 elections, with the percentage climbing from 20 percent in May 2024 to 35 percent in December of that year,” Gallup said.

“The past two readings, from May and December, have been even higher since the GOP has been in office and governing.”

Commenting on the findings overall, Gallup said that “while Americans continue to believe a more religious society would serve the U.S. well, fewer hold this view than did in 2013.

“This shift has come as the percentage of Americans who are religious are, by nearly any measure, near historical lows.”

Pollsters added that the findings come at a time when the Trump administration “has sought to elevate the role of religion in public life, including by establishing the White House Office of Faith, beginning government meetings with Christian prayers, and encouraging federal workers to express their faith in the workplace.”

White House Faith Office

In February 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing a White House Faith Office.

The office was tasked with working alongside faith and community leaders to develop policy recommendations for combating faith-based discrimination, strengthening religious liberty, and strengthening families and marriages.

President Donald Trump bows his head during the National Prayer Breakfast at the Washington Hilton in Washington on Feb. 5, 2026. (Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images)

In February of this year, Trump said during the National Prayer Breakfast that there were many signs that faith was returning to the United States.

“Religion is back, now, hotter than ever before,” Trump said in his speech at the Washington Hilton on Feb. 5.

“Thankfully, as we gather today, there are many signs that religion is coming back. Now, it’s no longer signs.

“It’s just coming back; it’s coming back so strong. You know, your churches are filling up.”

The National Prayer Breakfast is an annual event aimed at fostering faith, bipartisan dialogue, and unity. This was Trump’s sixth appearance at the event.

From The Epoch Times