2024 Index Findings

Explore the findings of this year's index with the data and visualizations below.

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    Executive Summary

    The Religious Freedom Index’s sixth edition – now with five years in the 2020s – marks the second Presidential election year in Index history and allows us to assess how electoral politics influence Americans’ perception of religion and religious liberty. This year, we’re pleased to announce that the Index has reached its highest score yet, at a cumulative total of 70. The 2024 Index improved on last year’s total score and in several key dimensions, continuing to rebound from COVID-era lows.

    The Index is designed to give a holistic view of American attitudes toward religious freedom by surveying a nationally representative sample of approximately 1,000 American adults each year. The survey consists of 21 annually repeating questions that cover a broad range of topics, from the rights of religious people to practice their respective faiths to the role of government in protecting religious beliefs. The responses to these questions are broken down into six dimensions: 1) Religious Pluralism, 2) Religion and Policy, 3) Religious Sharing, 4) Religion in Society, 5) Church and State, and 6) Religion in Action. The composite Index score is calculated by taking the average of these six dimensions, with a score of 0 representing complete opposition and a score of 100 representing complete support.

    Each year, the Index also asks additional questions that touch on special topics or parts of the national conversation. This year, the Index asked questions related to parental rights in education, abortion policy, the importance of religious liberty in politics over time, and which institutions were doing the best – and the worst – at protecting America’s first freedom.

    2024 Key Findings:

    1. Americans are wary of government interference: At church, at school, and in the workplace, we find that Americans have a shared concern of government actions crossing lines where faith is concerned. This vigilance reflects a collective understanding that true freedom requires keeping government intervention in check when it comes to matters of faith.
    2. Americans’ divisions on abortion haven’t split them on religious liberty: After the 2022 Dobbs decision, key metrics measuring Americans’ attitudes towards religion and faith saw a marked decline. Today, abortion remains a divisive issue, but Americans’ faith in religion is returning, and they continue to oppose controversial attempts to force religious organizations to provide for abortion coverage against their faiths’ teachings.
    3. Americans crave a culture that values religious freedom–a place where faith is respected, not sidelined: Americans report all-time high levels of acceptance of religious people – but they also report that society remains less friendly towards people of faith. Americans want a culture that values religious freedom, not a society that turns a cold shoulder to people of faith.

    Americans are wary of government interference:

    Across multiple questions in our Index one message rings loud and clear: Americans deeply value their First Amendment freedoms, even in the face of tough, controversial issues. Take the 2023 case in Massachusetts, where state authorities blocked a Catholic couple from fostering children solely because of their religious beliefs. Instead of working with the family to find a foster child that suited their home, their faith was used against them. Two-thirds of respondents stood firmly against this decision, believing it was wrong to deny the couple a chance to foster. Americans continue to champion solutions that respect religious freedom while honoring the principles of fairness and inclusion. This case serves as a powerful reminder of our nation’s enduring commitment to safeguarding these essential rights.

    Americans continue to support parental rights in the classroom as well, with 69% of respondents agreeing that parents are the primary educators of their children, and 77% agreeing that parents should be able to opt-out their children from curriculum on gender and sexuality if they believe it is not age appropriate or if it violates their religious beliefs. More than a third of respondents believe that schools should not instruct on human sexuality and gender identity at all – and, conversely, only 3% believe that such instruction is appropriate for pre-K or kindergarten-aged children.

    These results and others show that Americans continue to be wary of government interference in religion and continue to broadly support religious freedom. Even on issues touching on abortion or gay marriage, where Americans are divided, they come together on the question of religious accommodations for people of faith.

    Americans’ divisions on abortion haven’t split them on religious liberty:

    In 2022, the Supreme Court returned the question of abortion to the democratic process. Coincidentally, our polling in 2022 showed that Americans’ optimism in religion and people of faith to be part of the solution to America’s problems dropped dramatically. While the 2022 Index held its score of 68 steady and even notched an all-time high for the Religious Sharing dimension, it also recorded its lowest ever score for the Religion and Policy dimension, partially due to a drop in support for the freedom to believe that certain behaviors and activities – including abortion – were immoral and should be avoided in our society.

    But since then, Americans’ optimism on religion and people of faith has nearly returned to 2021 levels, and Religion and Policy dimension returned to its 2021 high score of 68, with respondents’ support for the freedom to believe that abortion and other behaviors and activities are immoral rebounding. Furthermore, this year we found that 70% of Americans oppose forcing religious organizations to violate their faith by paying for abortions for their employees, if that is contrary to their religious beliefs.

    This return to pre-Dobbs levels of tolerance for differing views and support for religious accommodations is all the more notable for taking place in an election year where abortion was one of the most prominent issues and signals that Americans put genuine religious freedom ahead of scoring partisan “points” or punishing their political enemies.

    Americans crave a culture that values religious freedom – a place where faith is respected, not sidelined:

    This year, Americans revealed a striking divide in attitudes toward people of faith. On a personal level, acceptance and appreciation soared to much higher levels compared to 2020. Yet when asked about society as a whole, perceptions told a different story—societal acceptance remained stagnant, perceived as low and unchanging. This sharp contrast exposes a profound gap: while individuals show growing warmth toward people of faith, they believe society fails to reflect the same attitude.

    Another gap we measured involved the executive branch – Americans were more likely to believe the President should be taking the lead in protecting religious freedom, but, when asked who was doing the best job of protecting religious freedom, they were more likely to identify the judicial system.

    Perhaps that is why Americans reported believing that the importance of religious freedom as a political issuehad risen over the past five and 10 years and why they are less likely to think the President does the best job protecting religious freedom than in 2020. Protections for people of faith are often straightforward and widely supported, but many Americans feel that their opinions aren’t mirrored in society at large.

    There is cause for optimism, though: religious non-Christian respondents are more likely to report feeling completely or a good amount accepted compared to 2023, raising the possibility that Americans’ willingness to tolerate those with different views has been felt by religious minorities. As Americans turn the page on a divisive election year, there is reason to believe that these positive trends will continue.

    2024 Index Results

    Continuing on the Index’s trend of steady improvement, this year saw a new high Index score of 70, with scores increasing from 2023 in the Religious Pluralism (86), Religion and Policy (68), Religion in Action (70), and Religion in Society (67) dimensions. Religious Sharing remained the same at a score of 72, while Church and State dropped slightly to 58. For the Religious Pluralism, Religion in Action and Religion in Society dimensions, these are all-time high scores, while Religious Sharing and Religion and Policy scores tied high scores from prior years. Only Church and State showed a decline, failing to meet last year’s all-time high score of 59. Our data shows that the rising scores of Religious Pluralism and Religion in Action are being driven in part by younger Americans, and as such it is possible that the Index score may continue to rise, particularly in those dimensions, as Gen Z becomes a larger part of the electorate. In fact, this year Gen Z achieved a higher Index score than Americans as a whole, a positive sign about the attitude of the next generation of Americans.

    This year’s publication was the second time the Index had the opportunity to poll during an election year, and as such we also asked several questions to gauge how American’s beliefs informed their voting, allowing us to compare this year’s sentiment with that of the 2020 election. About 40% of Americans reported their faith would influence their voting at least a moderate amount, dropping slightly from 2020 – but 71% of Americans reported that religious freedom was at least somewhat important to their vote, a rise of 10 points over 2020.

    We are pleased to report that political division did not seem to negatively impact Americans’ convictions about the importance of religion and religious liberty. This year, the importance of religion returned to 2019 levels, with 70% of Americans reporting that religion was at least somewhat important to them – an 8-point rise over 2020’s low. Americans also report being more accepting of people of faith and more appreciative of their contributions than ever before. Encouragingly, both people of faith as a whole and non-Christian people of faith reported feeling more accepted in society than in 2023. While it is impossible to tell whether or not this is a temporary spike or the beginning of a lasting trend, it is a heartening sign that faith in religion and in the laws and culture that protect it is still strong in America.

    Index Dimension Scores

    The Index dimensions and scaled scores are as follows:

    Religious Pluralism: 86 How do respondents view the basic rights to hold beliefs about God, adhere to a religion, and live out the basic tenets of that religion in their daily life, especially when those beliefs and practices may be outside the mainstream?
    Religion and Policy: 68 What is the proper place for religion when it intersects with law and policy?
    Religion Sharing: 72 When someone follows a religion, to what extent should they be free to share their religion and beliefs with others?
    Religion in Society: 67 How does religion contribute to a healthy society, and how do people feel about the efforts of religion to make contributions within society?
    Church and State: 58 What are the boundaries of interactions between government and religion?
    Religion in Action: 70 How free are individuals to practice their beliefs beyond the walls of their homes or places of worship?

    2024 Dimension Analysis

    Religious Pluralism

    The Religious Pluralism dimension asks respondents about how different belief systems and practices can simultaneously exist in society. They address the freedom to choose to follow a religion, or no religion at all, and what it means to live out that choice in daily life.

    America’s deep roots in the pursuit of religious freedom make it fitting that Religious Pluralism remains the most celebrated dimension of the Index. This measure of Americans’ openness to religious diversity has been consistent, year after year. But this year marks a remarkable milestone – Religious Pluralism soared to a record-high score of 86, climbing an impressive nine points since its dip in 2020. This upward trend showcases a growing appreciation for the richness of diverse beliefs in the nation’s fabric.

    Past editions of the Index predicted that this dimension might continue to rise for generational reasons, as young Americans are enthusiastic supporters of religious pluralism. This year’s findings bore that out, as Gen Z scored slightly higher than Americans overall at 87, increasing two points from their 2023 score (85) and six from 2022 (81). Except for a dip in 2020, Gen Z’s support for Religious Pluralism has been steadily, and in some cases steeply, trending upward since tracking began.

    For example, their complete acceptance and support for the freedom for people to choose a religion has gone up by 33 points from 2020; for the freedom to pray or worship without fear of persecution, up 27 points from 2019; and for the freedom to practice a religion in daily life without facing discrimination or harm from others, up 17 points from 2019.

    Interestingly, Gen Z bucks the political trend in a particularly controversial area: it has the highest acceptance of any generation for the freedom to practice one’s religious beliefs, even if they are contrary to accepted majority practices. With 66% completely accepting and supporting this freedom, Gen Z showed even stronger support on this question than they did for “tolerance and respect of a broad array of ideas and beliefs about God,” for which 58% of Gen Z reported complete acceptance and support.

    Gen Z’s older counterparts, Millennials, scored the lowest of the generations surveyed for Religious Pluralism at 83, which falls between their respective prior scores of 82 in 2023 and 84 in 2022. However, the relative stability of these numbers, even amidst a divisive political period, suggests that Millennial support for Religious Pluralism may have reached a stable equilibrium.

    Among age groups, men aged 25-34 were particularly likely to score lower on Religious Pluralism, despite being more likely to report religion was at least somewhat important to them. With a dimension score of 79, men aged 25-34 scored the same as respondents who reported having no people of faith in their social circle. Conversely, Americans who reported at least weekly religious service attendance scored higher, at 91, suggesting that those most committed to their own religious practices are also the most accommodating of practices that differ from their own.

    Although Americans continue to express more hesitancy in some areas – such as tolerance and respect for a broad array of ideas about God – Religious Pluralism remains a cornerstone of American culture and a continues to push the Index to new heights.

    Religion and Policy

    The Religion and Policy dimension covers a wide range of religious practice and belief. It asks about the interactions of government, private organizations, and individuals with religion.Many of the questions in this dimension relate to current religious freedom debates.

    The Religion and Policy dimension examines the intersection of religious beliefs and practices with law, regulation, and public policy. This section focuses on respondents’ views regarding religious freedom, particularly in challenging or controversial contexts, such as allowing individuals to make voting decisions based on personal beliefs or to operate their businesses in accordance with their faith. This year, the Religion and Policy dimension scored 68, reflecting a 2-point increase from 2023.

    Particularly in the context of the 2024 presidential election, it is valuable to compare how different political groups performed on Religion and Policy. Democrats, showing a 5-point increase from 2023, scored 62, while Republicans saw a 1-point increase to 77. Independents scored 69, placing them one point above the average respondent. Ideologicalgroupings followed a similar pattern, withLiberals scoring 57, Conservatives scoring 78, and Moderates scoring 73. Registered voters scored 68, aligning with the average American, while non-registered voters had a slightly higher score of 70 on this dimension. Despite the political variation presented, the cumulative scores of Americans across the political spectrum demonstrate a shared commitment to some degree of religious freedom across political lines.

    Among demographic groups the Index evaluated, those who attended worship at least once a week had the highest score (83), scoring well above the average American. Other groups with high scores include individuals who consider religion extremely or very important (79), those who are members of or attend religious institutions almost weekly (76), and self- identified Christians or people of faith (73). Individuals aged 45-54 had the highest scoring age demographic, with a score of 73. Those who identified as Black Americans were more likely to have a high score in this dimension (70), while Asians and Hispanics held lower scores (67). White Americans fell in the middle at a score of 68 – the national average. The lowest scores were held by those who seldom or never attended worship (63), and those who identified as LGBT+ and nonreligious, with a score of 42.

    While the Index asks questions related to voter priorities every year, this year’s results suggest that stronger attitudes may have been influenced by the 2024 presidential election. When it comes to freedom for individuals to use their personal religious beliefs to guide their voting decisions, 84%of respondents said they support and accept this freedom, with 49% completely supporting it – this latter and most supportive group making a 6-point jump from 2023 (43%), and an 8-point increase from 2020 (41%), the last election year.

    Millennials had the lowest net support at 78%, and were less certain in their support, with only 40% completely accepting the freedom to vote guided by one’s religious beliefs. Gen Z charted higher with 81% net support, marking an 11-point increase since 2023, and 45% in complete support. Perhaps surprisingly, considering other gender trends measured this year, female Gen Z voters were more net supportive of this freedom than male Gen Z voters by nine points, scoring at 83% and 74% respectively.

    And – while Silent Gen, Boomers, and Gen X all scored high in net support, at 92%, 88%, and 87% respectively – when it came to the strongest acceptance and support, Silent Gen scored nearly 20 points higher (at 71%) than its two nearest generations, with Boomers at 54% complete acceptance and Gen X at 53%.

    Regarding religious demographics, the same question of using faith to guide voting decisions revealed no statistically significant differences among groups surveyed. Non-Catholic Christians favored this freedom the most, with 89% in net support compared to 87% of Catholics, 80% of religious non-Christians, and 76% of non-religious respondents. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, 90% of respondents who considered religion and people of faith to be part of the solution supported this freedom, versus 74% of those who considered religion and people of faith to be part of the problem.

    Differences aside, all demographic groups measured still reported a strong majority of support towards using faith to guide one’s voting, which is heartening for those religious Americans who rely on the principles of their faith for guidance when exercising their right to vote.

    Religious Sharing

    The Religious Sharing dimension considers the exchange of religious ideas in the public square. Closely tied to freedom of speech, this dimension provides insights into unique aspects of communication in American society.

    The Religious Sharing dimension measures support for the right of religious expression, whether it involves sharing beliefs or preaching religious doctrines – a cornerstone of religious liberty that is protected by both the Free Speech and Free Exercise clauses of the First Amendment. In this year’s Index, Religious Sharing maintained its high score of 72. Religious Sharing is one of the most consistent dimensions, with scores of 71 or 72 every year except for a small but notable dip to 69 in 2020.

    While Christians (both Catholics and non-Catholics) scored highly on the sharing dimension with a score of 79, religious non-Christians scored lower, with a score of 67. This may be in part because some non-Christian faiths put less emphasis on proselytizing.

    We found that younger generations actually scored higher on this dimension, with Gen Z scoring four points above Boomers and three points above the average dimension score. This is a dramatic reversal: in 2022, Gen Z scored two points below the average in this dimension, and in 2023 Gen Z’s score was in line with the average. This score was pushed up, in part, by slightly stronger support by male members of Gen Z, who scored a 77 in this dimension, somewhat higher than female Gen Z’s 74. Gen Z males were about 10 points more likely than female Gen Z to completely or mostly accept and support both freedoms examined in this dimension, but among members of Gen Z registered to vote, that gap grew to 12 points when asked about the freedom to preach the doctrine of one’s faith to others, with male Gen Z remaining the more supportive group. However, the gender gap narrowed to 7 points when Gen Z voters were asked about the freedom to express or share religious beliefs with others.

    Regardless of gender, younger Americans went from being less supportive of Religious Sharing than Americans as a whole to more supportive. Historically, younger generations have often been considered less likely to be religious and more likely to be religiously diverse. These findings on Religious Sharing could speak to a culture of openness among the younger generations that prioritizes remaining open and friendly towards different points of view. However, as we explore elsewhere in this Index, this year’s results suggest that Gen Z is increasing its support of religious freedom more broadly. With this in mind, Americans’ increasingly friendly views on Religious Sharing could be downstream of a larger cultural development that sees religion increasing in importance in individuals’ lives.

    Unsurprisingly, people of faith (those who said religion is at least somewhat important in their lives) had a higher score on this dimension (scoring 77), while those who were not categorized as people of faith scored lower on this dimension, at 62. Interestingly, those who were not people of faith who also reported no people of faith in their social circle scored even lower, at 59. This suggests not only that is sharing one’s religious beliefs with others is an important part of many faith traditions, it is also important to helping those who are not people of faith understand the value of Religious Sharing. In our digital world, where social media and legacy media alike feed off of controversy, it is not surprising that personal relationships are creating more open-minded attitudes towards religious freedom.

    Religion in Society

    The Religion in Society dimension directly asks respondents to evaluate the contributions of religion and people of faith to society. It gives context to religious participation in civil society.

    The Religion in Society dimension measures Americans’ acceptance and appreciation of people of faith and their perception of the role faith plays in American society. This dimension is ultimately intended to measure Americans’ feelings regarding whether religion is a net good in society. This year, Religion in Society is not only up 2 points since last year but reached a record high since beginning the Index in 2019.

    This is perhaps one of the Index’s most important dimensions because a culture that does not value or accept religious people or does not believe that religion is a benefit to society is less likely to prioritize accommodations for the faithful. To measure Religion in Society, the Index randomly assigns respondents to one of three subgroups. The first subgroup is asked if “people of faith and religion” are part of the solution or part of the problem for issues in our county. The subsequent groups are asked the same question, but the term “people of faith and religion” is replaced by either “religion” or exclusively “people of faith.”

    When respondents were asked if they thought religion was part of the problem or solution when it comes to issues facing our country today, 41% of respondents said that religion was at least somewhat part of the problem. In contrast, when asked the same question but using the term “people of faith,” only 38% of respondents found them to be part of the problem. Finally, when asked the question with both terms included, 42% of respondents again said religion and people of faith were part of the problem. Though the differences are minor and within the margin of error, these slight differences in negative responses based on the language used reveal that Americans may have different perceptions of the roles played by people of faith versus institutionalized religion in our society today.

    2024’s Religion in Society dimension also revealed fascinating demographic breakdowns, which are in line with similar findings among other pollsters this year. For example, women were more likely to say people of faith and religion were part of the problem than male respondents were: 44% of women said they believed religion was generally part of the problem in the issues our country faces, but 38% of men responded the same.

    We also found intriguing generational differences on this question. While 52% of all Gen Z respondents said religion was at least somewhat part of the problem in solving our nation’s biggest issues, the gender divide persists. 54% of Gen Z men believe religion is part of the solution, while only 43% of Gen Z women feel the same. For comparison, only 30% of Generation X respondents consider religion to be part of the problem, compared with 70% who view it as the solution. Boomers agreed with Gen Z slightly more than Gen X, with 41% of Boomers believing religion is part of the problem. Unsurprisingly given these opinions, younger Americans were less likely to feel accepted in society as people of faith, with about 45% of Gen Z and Millennials of faith saying that they felt completely or a good amount accepted in society (versus 52% of Americans as a whole).

    As discussed more in depth in the key findings section, this year we also asked respondents about their personal acceptance of people of faith – and about their perception of society’s acceptance as well. Unsurprisingly, respondents who are a member of a religious institution and/ or attend religious institutions at least weekly were more likely to be above the mean when it comes to their personal acceptance and support for people of faith in society.

    Nevertheless, 74% of all respondents said society is a complete, good, or moderate amount of accepting towards people of faith living according to their beliefs. 94% of respondents across faith backgrounds (or lack thereof) said they personally were completely, a good, or a moderate amount of accepting towards these people of faith – a highly positive finding, up 8  points since 2020, when 86% said the same.

    Religion in Society’s 2024 findings reveal that while people of faith and religion are broadly accepted in society, there are important societal trends for the Index to continue investigating in coming years, such as the gender divide and generational differences. As more Gen Z respondents come into the polling pool, and as the manner in which religion and people of faith interact with our nation’s culture continues to evolve, the perception of religion in American society remains everchanging.

    Church and State

    The Church and State dimension surveys respondents about the interactions between governmentand religion. In asking about government funding and government speech, it draws out opinions on the Constitution’s Establishment Clause.

    The Church and State dimension examines views regarding the proper relationship of government and religion in American society. More specifically, this dimension focuses on the government’s use of religious symbols in public displays and the government’s role in financing religious organizations that provide aid and public services.

    Church and State tends to be the most polarizing of the six dimensions measured, reflecting cultural debates on the nature of the Establishment Clause, religious autonomy, and church-state separation. That said, this year’s Index finds Americans broadly appreciate the role that religious organizations play in public society. In 2024, Church and State scored 58, a one point drop from 2023, butcontinued in a stable trend of support that has seen little variation over the last five years.

    This year, more than seven out of 10 Americans, or 73%, agree that “religious organizations that provide services to help in the community (e.g., soup kitchens, homeless shelters, etc.) should be just as eligible to receive government funds as non-religious organizations.” This high margin of support for charitable religious organizations, in line with 2023’s numbers, has increased by eight points since 2020 and remains the highest measured on this question since the inception of the Index. Since 2020, the percentage of Americans who disagree has dropped from 35% to 27%, suggesting that appreciation for the positive contributions of religion, and for its role in benefitting the disadvantaged members of society, is back on the rise.

    Although Americans increasingly support equal treatment of religious charities and nonprofits, state actors continue to needlessly interfere with the operations of religious charities. For instance, in St. Dominic Academy v. Makin and St. Mary Catholic Parish v. Roy, Becket is defending religious schools that were excluded from government school funding programs because of their religious beliefs. Similarly, in Catholic Charities Bureau v. Wisconsin Labor & Industry Review Commission, Becket is defending the Catholic Charities Bureau – a ministry of the Diocese of Superior – which was denied the ability to use the Wisconsin Catholic Bishops’ unemployment insurance system because its ministry served everyone – regardless of faith. Instead, the state is attempting to force it to pay into the state’s less efficient unemployment insurance program, on the theory that a ministry that cares for the poor and needy regardless of their faith or creed is operating in a secular manner, not a religious one. The case will be heard by the Supreme Court sometime early this year.

    Americans remain evenly divided on whether the government should be able to use religious imagery in public displays. When asked if “the government should be able to use religious symbols or language in public displays (statues, murals, etc.), because religion has played an important role in our country’s history and culture,” 52% of Americans agreed and 48% Americans disagreed, matching 2023’s split. While this is a slightly higher level of agreement than 2022’s 50-50 split, this year’s score remains within the statistically insignificant range measured year to year, with 2021, 2020, and 2019 charting agreement at 54%, 53%, and 56% respectively.

    Interestingly, religious respondents differ in their support for religious symbols and language in government or public displays. While members of a Christian faith are more likely to support such displays, religious believers of non- Christian faiths are slightly more likely to oppose them. This could be attributed to concerns that government displays may not represent those of non-majority faiths.

    As American religion continues to diversify, and as increasing numbers of Americans describe their faith as important to them, bolstering a healthy relationship between church and state remains essential to protecting all faiths in the public square, keeping our pluralistic democracy strong, and ensuring that people of all faith backgrounds can contribute to our society in a way that is in keeping with their beliefs.

    Religion in Action

    The Religion in Action dimension reveals opinions about public acceptance of religious expression – especially from minority traditions –in the public square. It asks about religious practice across a variety of contexts and situations.

    Two years after the Supreme Court’s decision in Groff v. DeJoy – which made it easier for employees to gain religious accommodations from their employers – support for the Religion in Action dimension is still on the rise, with its score climbing to 70, an all-time high.

    As discussed in past years, younger generations are more likely to support the rights of Americans to live out their beliefs in the workplace, with Gen Z scoring a 78 – the highest of any generation – and Millennials relatively close to the national average at 71, while Boomers are score significantly lower at64. (The Silent Generation, scoring 69, breaks from the overall trend; however, the small sample size available to us in a nationally representative poll is a reason for caution when evaluating these results).

    In fact, respondents 18-24 received as high a score on this dimension as those who attended religious institutions at least weekly (79), proving that young Americans are not necessarily at odds with the religiously devout, particularly in these questions about accommodations at work or in daily life. As discussed inpast years, this might reflect a “bring your whole self to work” mentality on the part of younger Americans and a desire to protect religious minorities, who may be somewhat less likely to feel accepted by society.

    While in past years we’ve found that religious non-Christians (including those who indicate “Other” as their faith) feel slightly less accepted in society than people of faith overall, 2024’s results suggest that this gap may be closing in a positive way. This year, religious non-Christians (including those who indicate “Other” as their faith) were notably more likely to report feeling at least a good amount accepted in society than in the past, with 49% answering that they felt at least a good amount accepted, compared to only 38% in 2023. This 11-point rise brings non-Christians nearly in line with the 52% of people of faith overall who report feeling this level ofacceptance. It is hard to tell to what extent this has to do with Groff or with the increasing cultural friendliness towards religious people of all faiths documented in the Index. Other factors outside of the scope of the Index may also be at play. But, considering that the law and sentiment both have trended towards more consideration for minorities, perhaps it should be no surprise that those minorities indicate feeling more accepted now than ever.

    All other things being equal, we expect the positive trends in this dimension to continuefor the near future, as Gen Z continues to grow as a proportion of the population. If American people are friendly towards expressions of faith and willing to respect the rights of those who cannot participate in activities that are forbidden by their religion and conscience, it will create a place for religious minorities to flourish regardless of their creed.

    2024 Key Findings

    Americans are wary of government interference

    This year’s Index delivers a powerful message: Americans are fed up with government meddling in matters of faith. The results speak loud and clear – people want the freedom to worship and live according to their own beliefs, without political intrusion. Across a wide range of questions, one theme shines through – Americans are calling for an end to government overreach into their religious lives. They’re demanding the space to practice their faith and follow their conscience, free from interference. This is not just a preference; it’s a deeply rooted conviction.

    For example, 80% of Americans completely or mostly accept and support the freedom for people to run their business or private organizations according to their religious beliefs, marking a distinct 5-point increase from 2023 and the highest score yet surveyed on this question. Similarly, 78% of Americans think that this freedom is an essential or important part of what should be included and protected in the right to religious freedom – displaying a 7-point increase in since 2020.

     

    In 2024, 83% of Americans completely or mostly accept and support “the freedom for people or groups to choose not to participate in actions or work that violates their sincere religious beliefs and conscience.” This is the highest percentage of support for this freedom ever measured by the Index, a margin which has continued to steadily rise in each year of polling and now marks a 7-point increase from 2019. Generational indicators suggest that this trend may continue to rise: among all age groups surveyed, younger Gen Z displayed the highest level of net support for freedom of conscience. Of respondents aged 18 through 24, 90% completely or mostly agree that individuals should be able to opt out of participating in actions that violate their beliefs, scoring 11 points higher in net support than respondents aged25 through 34 and 14 points higher than the 65+ group.

    And, despite recent government mandates and regulatory actions that seek to override the sincerely held religious beliefs of individuals and organizations – such as New York’s requirement that religious nonprofits provide coverage for abortion in their insurance plans (an issue Becket is now litigating in Diocese of Albany v. Harris) or attempts to force the Little Sisters of the Poor to cover contraception for their employees – a clear majority of Americans agree that it is not the government’s role to limit the first freedom of its citizens. For example, 70% of Americans think that the government should not require religious organizations to pay for abortions for their employees if the organization has ethical or religious convictions against abortion.

    Likewise, when it comes to the education of their children, Americans are especially adamant that their freedom to teach sensitive topics according to their beliefs should be protected from government overreach. Nearly seven in 10 Americans (69%) agree that parents are the primary educators of their children, should have final say on what their children are taught in public school, and should be able to opt their children out from curriculum that they believe is morally objectionable or inappropriate. This number is up two points from 67% last year and has increased by six percentage points since 2021. And, up four points from last year, an even stronger 77% of Americans agree that “Parents should be able to opt their children out of public school curriculum on gender and sexuality that violates their religious beliefs or that they believe is not age appropriate.”

    When asked the earliest grade in which it is appropriate for schools to instruct children on concepts such as human sexuality and gender identity, 34% of Americans (a 3-point increase from 2023) said that schools should never be the ones to instruct children on these concepts, compared to 31% who said middle school, 13% who said high school, 19% who said elementary school, and only 3% who said Pre-K or Kindergarten. And, within the elementary school category,1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade only received 1%, 1%, and 3% respectively. This stands in stark contrast to the policies adopted in places like Montgomery County, Maryland, where Becket (in the case Mahmoud v. Taylor) is now fighting for the rights of parents to opt their young children out of curriculum that is contrary to their religious values. Interestingly, this year the number of LGBT+ respondents in support of instructing children on human sexuality before 4th grade also dropped 10 points, from 25% in 2023 to 15% in 2024.

    Americans also expressed their distaste for government overstep as exemplified in an ongoing Massachusetts court case, Burke v. Walsh, in which the state foster care program denied an otherwise qualified Catholic couple from becoming foster parents due to the couple’s traditional beliefs on sexual orientation and gender. A strong 56% of Americans oppose Massachusetts’ decision to bar the couple from becoming foster parents, compared to 19% who support thestate’s decision and 25% who neither support nor oppose. Furthermore, more than four times as many respondents say they strongly oppose (37%) than strongly support (9%) the decision to exclude the Catholic couple.

    After providing more context around the case and why some may think the decision was right or wrong an even stronger majority of two in three respondents (67%) oppose Massachusetts’ decision, agreeing that the state should have worked with the Catholic couple to determine which foster children might be the best fit for their home. Unsurprisingly, a majority of Americans want the government to focus on serving the needs of its constituents – and, in this case, to prioritize finding homes for vulnerable foster children amid a shortage of foster parents – rather than compelling faithful parents to choose between their faith or providing a forever home for a child.

    Even when it comes to more controversial issues like the definition of marriage, Americans supported freedom of belief, with 77% completely or mostly accepting and supporting the freedom for any individual or group to believe in a traditional definition of marriage without having to worry about facing discrimination, penalties, or fines from the government. While Americans may disagree on what they believe, their agreement to protect individual beliefs from government influence and punishment underscores their shared commitment to the values of pluralism and freedom of conscience enshrined in the Constitution.

    Americans’ divisions on abortion haven’t split them on religious liberty

    Given its prominence in messaging surrounding the 2024 election, this year provides an ideal opportunity to evaluate the impact of the national debate over abortion on Americans’ attitudes towards religion. Although many findings in this year’s Index point to a high degree of support for religious liberty, abortion continues to be a divisive issue that can skew this otherwise stable commitment. However, several questions on this year’s Index that polled on abortion-related issues found that Americans remain unwavering in their commitment to protecting conscience rights and honoring diverse beliefs.The results underscore a powerful truth— people value the freedom to uphold their convictions above the noise of partisan disputes. This isn’t just a point of principle; it’s a testament to the deep respect Americans have for individual beliefs and the importance of safeguarding those rights, no matter the controversy.

    Most prominently, over 70% of Americans agree that the government should not require religious organizations to pay for abortions for their employees if the organizations have ethical or religious convictions against abortion. On the same question, three times as many respondents strongly agree (“Exactly like Smith”) that religious organizations should not have to cover abortions (34%) than those of the opposite opinion (“Exactly like Jones”), who strongly believe that the government should require the organizations to pay (11%). This was the first year the Index asked this question, and its results suggest that despite disagreements on abortion itself, Americans agree that the government mandating religious organizations to pay for the procedure is a step too far.

    Notably, this includes majorities of Republicans and conservatives (84% and 83%), Democrats and liberals (61% and 56%), and independents and moderates (72% and 73%). Registered voters were more likely to share this opinion (71%) than those who were not registered (64%).

    This year, 67% of Americans consider the “freedom for healthcare workers with religious objections to abortion not to participate in abortion procedures” to be an essential or important part of what religious freedom includes and protects. Down two points from last year, this question saw its most dramatic drop of seven points between 2021 and 2022, which likely is correlated with the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in the summer of 2022, in which the Supreme Court ruled there is no Constitutional right to abortion. On the same question, the smaller percentage of Americans who consider this freedom for healthcare workers to be an absolutely essential part of religious freedom dropped by four points, from 40% in 2023 to 36% in 2024 – a small and statistically insignificant change, but still a decline.

    However, when asked for their personal opinions on the matter, 70% of Americans completely or mostly accept and support the same freedom for healthcare workers to not participate in abortion procedures if they hold religious objections. While this number is down one point from 2023, and also saw a 4-point dip in support between 2021 and 2022, the percentage of respondents who completely accept and support this freedom has climbed two points from 2023 to 40% in 2024. Furthermore, men and women are in perhaps surprisingly close agreement: 71% of male respondents and 69% of female respondents support this freedom for healthcare workers with conscientious or religious objections to not have to perform an abortion.

    These dips also match another dramatic drop in 2022: Americans who said religion and people of faith were definitely part of the solution to our problems as a country dropped dramatically before slowly rising back to nearly 2021 levels this year. Although our polling does not ask Americans why they believe religion and people of faith to be part of the problem or part of the solution, it seems likely that controversy over Dobbs negatively impacted Americans’ perspective on religion. Fortunately, however, this does not seem to have a permanent effect – in fact, more Americans said that religion and people of faith were definitely part of the solution this year than in 2023, despite abortion being an important topic during the 2024 election.

     

    Looking ahead to how these figures may change in the coming years, the Index’s results highlight certain demographics where support for or opposition to abortion-related issues are most concentrated. On the question regarding the government requiring religious organizations to pay for abortions, LGBT+ respondents, Liberals and younger Americans (age 18-34), especially young women, are more likely to support requiring this of religious organizations, whereas Conservative, GOP, and younger male respondents were more likely to hold the majority view opposing this requirement.

    When considering the shifting scores of various survey dimensions across the years, the weighty role played by abortion in the Religion and Policy dimension is especially evident. Among questions discussed earlier, this dimension covers “the freedom to believe that certain behaviors and activities are immoral, sinful, and should be avoided in our society,” such as abortion. When divided by generation, the typically conservative Gen X and Silent Generation lead the acceptance rates with 45% and 46% completely supporting this freedom, marking a new high for Gen X but a slight decline for the Silent Generation. Gen Z scores comparatively low at 36% but displays a notable rise from last year’s 27% complete acceptance of this freedom.

    Although it seems clear that at least some Americans find cause for pessimism about religion and religious freedom in debates over abortion, it also seems clear that the vast majority of Americans – regardless of their personal beliefs about abortion – are willing to continue protecting and preserving America’s first freedom.

    Americans crave a culture that values religious freedom – a place where faith is respected, not sidelined:

    The 2024 Index revealed Americans’ craving for a culture that values religious liberty. The Index gleaned an array of important data relating to Americans’ personal acceptance of the freedom to choose a religion and practice a religion or faith without persecution. It also gives important insights into the role Americans believe our government should be playing in protecting these freedoms.

    A grand total of 75% of respondents said they completely accept and support the freedom for people to choose a religion if they want to, up slightly from last year but up nearly 20 points from its 2020 low of 57%. 71% of respondents also said they completely support the freedom to practice a religion in daily life without facing discrimination or harm from others – again a slight rise from the 67% who said this last year, but a significant rise from the all-time low of 53% in 2020. Finally, 75% of all participants said they completely support the freedom to pray or worship without fear of persecution, again a rise from 58% in 2020 and 71% in 2023. These results show that Americans overwhelmingly and increasingly support a culture that respects individuals’ right to live according to their beliefs.

    Moreover, as part of the Index’s polling this election year, respondents were asked about their beliefs regarding the government’s job in protecting religious liberty. Overall, 84% of respondents said freedom of religion is extremely, very, or at least somewhat important in politics today. Furthermore, 71% of registered voter respondents said a candidate’s stance on religious freedom is extremely, very, or somewhat important to them – a substantial increase over the last Presidential election year in 2020, where only 61% of Americans said the same.

    As in past years, we uncovered a gap in Americans’ perception of the appreciation of religious people: a majority of Americans, 56%, report that they appreciate the contributions of religion and people of faith completely or a good amount, but only 30% of Americans report feeling that society is at least a good amount appreciative – a 26-point gap, wider than those recorded in 2019 or 2020. Fortunately, it seems that this large perception gap is driven by increasing personal appreciation for religion and people of faith. Both the 56% of Americans reporting to have at least a good amount of personal appreciation, and the 85% of Americans with at least a moderate amount of appreciation represent record high scores for this question.

    Likewise, when we asked for people’s perception of their own versus society’s acceptance of people of faith in supporting their ability to believe and live according to their beliefs, the gap was even wider. This year, 73% of Americans consider themselves completely or a good amount accepting of people of faith living their beliefs, demonstrating a 15-point increase from2020. But only 36% reported society to be accepting of people of faith, making for a 37-point difference between perceived personal and societal acceptance – the largest gap yet measured in the Index, and a 13-point increase from 2020’s difference. While, as noted above, this widening gap is driven by increasing personal appreciation and acceptance for faith among Americans, the question remains as to why popular perceptions continue to see wider society as so unfriendly to religion and people of faith.

    Interestingly, we found that people of faith – those who said that religion was at least somewhat important to them – were more likely to say society had at least a good amount of appreciation for people of faith than respondents who said that faith was not very or not at all important to them (33% vs. 23%). Religious non-Christians (including those who answered “other” when asked to describe their faith) were more positive about society’s view of religion than people of no faith, with 30% saying society had a complete or good amount of appreciation for people of faith. This is consistent with our other findings that suggest that people of faith are more optimistic about religion and its role in American society.

    In an open-response question designed to probe the gap between people’s own attitudes towards people of faith and their perception of society, we categorized only 13% of responses as indicating that politics were the reason for society’s relative hostility towards people of faith, representing an insignificant 4-point rise from when we last asked in 2020 and suggesting that Americans do not consider this year’s election cycle to be a significant contributor to hostility against religion. Note, however, that, respondents were not asked to contextualize their beliefs this year with the last election cycle. More common responses indicated themes of intolerance (31% of responses) and negative impressions of religious groups (24% of responses). About 19% of responses noted culture (an increase of 6 points since 2020), and 16% mentioned the media.

    Increases in these positive attitudes towards religious freedoms must be taken in the context of other Index findings, which suggest that the importance of faith in America is actually increasing, with Americans who consider faith at least somewhat important to them returning to 2019 levels, and Americans who report attending church at least weekly rising slightly to 29%, up three points from last year’s low of 26% ‒ not a statistically significant uptick, but one that is consistent with increasing or leveling-off religiosity.

    Generational analysis yields a surprising parallel to this: Gen Z, the youngest generation of Americans and one that came of age amid bitter debates about religion and its role in society, has flipped from being the least friendly generation to religious freedom to the second-most, behind only the oldest Silent Generation.

    This is likely driven at least in part by increasing participation in faith: members of Gen Z saying that they attended church, synagogue, mosque, or temple at least monthly rose from 29% in 2022 to 36% in 2023 all the way to 40% in 2024 – nearly in line with the average American (41%). Similarly, members of Gen Z we identified as people of faith – those who said religion was at least somewhat important to them – rose from 51% in 2022 to 59% in 2023 to 66% in 2024, not far behind the 70% of all Americans. Although these rises may prove to be a temporary fluctuation, it suggests that the views of a group are not set in stone. Future editions of the Index will continue to probe this transition as we track the trajectory of opinion on religious liberty across generations.

    This year, we also asked Americans to think back to five and 10 years ago to report how importantreligion was in their own life at the time. 70% of Americans said religion is at least somewhat important in their lives in this year’s report, returning to our numbers from 2019 and up 8 points since 2020. Of those we categorized as people of faith,17% indicate that religion was not important to them a decade ago, and 10% indicate religion was not important to them five years ago – meaning that one in six Americans who are people of faith (17%) became one in the last 10 years.

    We also spent time this year reviewing how Americans believe their government should be protecting religious freedom, which found that Americans prefer for the President to take the lead, but think the Courts are doing the best job at protecting religious freedom. In fact, while 19% of Americans thought the President did the best job in 2020, that number dropped to 14% in 2024. This might represent dissatisfaction with the outgoing Presidential administration or suggest that the President has not been perceived as a particularly prominent protector of religious liberty. Although the Courts, State Governments and Congress have all seen small increases in belief that they are doing the best job protecting religious freedom since 2020, these modest shifts suggest that none of them have particularly captured the public’s attention in this space over the past four years.

    Nevertheless, consistent with many other findings this year, there is a slight gender divide among respondents on these questions. 38% of men said they believe Courts do the best job protecting religious freedom while only 24% of women said the same. When asked who in the government should do the best job at protecting religious freedom, 25% of men still said the Courts while only 20% of women answered the same. Though both genders generally agree that the President should take the lead role in protecting religious liberty, there is an implication here that women are hesitant to trust the Courts, perhaps as a lingering result of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision in 2022.

    Generational crosstabs reveal an even more complex response. 20% of both Gen X and Baby Boomers believe the President should play the biggest role in protecting religious freedom. However, more respondents from thosegenerations, about 30%, think the Court should continue to play the leading role on issues of religious liberty. In comparison, 29% of 18-24-year-olds believe the President should do more in protecting religious freedom while only 15% of this age group said Courts. Yet the age group looking to presidential leadership the most included older Gen Z and younger Millennials, specifically 25-34-year-olds – with a whopping 37% indicating they’d like to see the President take the lead in protecting religious liberty.

    What we have gleaned from this year’s Index is clear: Americans not only value religious freedom but also expect their government to play an important role in protecting it. Some may believe that the government – namely the President – does not do enough in safeguarding this fundamental right. And while government is often the visible face of society on policy matters, Americans believe that society as a whole, beyond the government, is more hostile towards religion than they are. Regardless of the policy actions of future administrations, Americans can be encouraged in the knowledge that their fellow-citizens are supportive of their faith and their right to exercise it.

    Conclusion

    Last year, the Index concluded that despite growing narratives about declining religiosity in the UnitedStates, Americans still valued their First Amendment freedoms and were regaining confidence in faith and religion as the solution to America’s problems. This year’s results more than justify that confidence, with the Index score itself and several Index dimension scores improving, even in a contentious election year. Particularly notable was the uptick of Americans who said that their faith was at leastsomewhat important to them, growing 8 points since 2020’s COVID-era low of 62%.However, despite the steady upwards trend of American support for religious freedom, this year’s Index revealed that Americans are concerned that American society as a whole lags behind their appreciation for religion and people of faith.

    Perhaps some of this is due to the fact that debates in the public square often do not reflect issues that are controversial among Americans at large. 97% of Americans believe that it is inappropriate for preschool and kindergarten-aged children to receive instruction on human sexuality and gender identity at school, but the county school board in Montgomery County, Maryland – one of the most populous counties in the United States – did exactly that, prompting a diverse coalition of religious parents from several different faiths to file a lawsuit against the school board to protect their children by opting them out of age-inappropriate material. Americans overwhelming support such opt-outs, but Montgomery County officials were unwilling to follow Maryland law, which requires parental notice and opt-out when teaching about human sexuality. And 70% of Americans oppose requiring religious organizations to pay for abortion coverage for their employees, but New York – the fourth largest state in the Union – required religious nonprofits to provide abortion coverage in their insurance plans in 2017, sparking another ongoing court battle.

    In light of those facts, it is unsurprising that Americans are more likely to say that the courts are doing a better job protecting religious freedom than the President, Congress, or state governments. Although the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade seems to have temporarily engendered less positive attitudes towards religion, the Supreme Court’s most recent major First Amendment case, Groff v. DeJoy (2023), brought U.S. employment nondiscrimination law more in line with Americans’ increasingly positive sentiments towards religious accommodations in the workplace. Our Index findings suggest that Americans are weary of attacks on religion and people of faith and ready for a culture that is as welcoming of religious faith as they are.

    Support for these policy positions is in line with our findings showing that importance of religion and religious attendance have risen this year, including among the youngest generation of Americans. While these findings should be taken cautiously until a definite trendline can be established, this year’s results are cause for optimism: in a divisive election year, Americans are more firmly committed than ever to our founding principles.