Just Over Half of Americans Still Think Religion Will Solve Your Problems

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The belief in religion’s ability to solve problems has declined but is now stable, hovering just above 50%.

The results gleaned from Gallup’s poll concerning values and beliefs held between May 3 to May 7 shows that 55 percent of Americans say that religion has the ability to solve most, if not all, of today’s problems[/tweetit]. This percentage, although it has declined when compared to the past, has exhibited relative stability over 2016 and even during the first half of 2017. The lowest point was in May 2015, when the percentage of people holding the view that religion can solve anything dipped to 51 percent.

Just Over Half of Americans Still Think Religion Will Solve Your Problems[/tweetthis]

If the poll is fractured as per religious preferences, about 71 percent of Protestants or any other Christian denomination believe that religion can provide answers to all problems. For Catholics, the number is 60 percent. About 81 percent of respondents with no religion say that religion is out of date.

34 percent of Americans feel that religion is on its way out. The numbers of these individuals among the population has gone up from the 7 percent in 1957 and is close to the all time high point of 35 percent. The remaining 10 percent of Americans right now do not have any opinion on whether religion could solve present day problems.

This percentage in the 50s is much lower than the religious fervor in 1957 when 82 percent of Americans believed that religion can solve the maximum or all the problems. Even during 2002, about 66 percent of American adults expressed an identical sentiment. This sentiment has declined steadily from that year until it reached a low of 51 percent in 2015.

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It must be said the views held by Americans when it comes to the relevance of religion in answering all problems have shown stability within the 53 percent to 55 percent range. This wide trend aligns with declines in attendance of church programs. Fewer Americans now say they expressly believe in a God or harbor a creationist viewpoint.

As expected, an important factor when it comes to commitment in religion relates to the view of religion playing a role in solving present-day problems. Among the respondents who attend church every week, 85 percent say that religion could solve a number of problems. This number is in stark contrast to the 33 percent who never attend or seldom attend. Those who attend church occasionally- once every month or so- are nearer to those who attend church regularly in their views, with about 69 percent believing religion can solve all problems.

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