An interesting discrepancy in how voters react to religiously infused politics is on display in a recent Deseret News/HarrisX poll.
While religion remains an important factor in how Americans vote, voters are more cynical than ever about what politicians say about their faith, suggesting that messages of personal religious conviction may be less important to Republican voters than the policy or cultural positions of a given candidate.
Over half the country, 55% — including 61% of Republicans, 57% of Democrats and 46% of independents — say religion is important in deciding who they vote for.
However, when asked whether most politicians advertise their religious beliefs out of genuine conviction or as an attempt to get more votes, nearly seven out of 10 respondents opted for the more cynical take.
A surprising 62% of Republicans, 69% of Democrats and 78% of independents share the perception that when a politician appeals to religious values, they are motivated by political gain.
These data points come amid ongoing disagreement over Trump’s impact on how the Republican Party incorporates religion into its politics.
Some claim the former president’s behavior has shifted the focus of religious appeals in the GOP from personal testimonies to patriotic identity. While others insist Trump’s style is helping him achieve what his predecessors failed to do: translate a message of religious values into policies that actually do something to protect the future of the country’s faith traditions.
“The question is, would you rather have a public culture in which people were defending and propagating religious imagery as a positive thing? Or would you rather have a religious culture in which it’s banished to the realm of private life where it’s slowly dying an obvious death?” Yoram Hazony, chairman of the Edmund Burke Foundation, asked during an interview with the Deseret News.
.png?width=1200&upscale=true&name=Utah%20Today%20Banner%20(v2).png)
.png?width=750&upscale=true&name=Round%20out%20your%20day%20(v5).png)
