In May we highlighted research demonstrating that individuals with lower levels of education were more likely to believe common conspiracy theories. Two new surveys have found that belief in such theories is also tied to religiosity, with white evangelical Protestants much more likely to believe in even the most absurd conspiracies. A recent Economist/YouGov. survey found that almost 70% of white evangelicals believe former President Donald Trump's various lies about "million

The number of white evangelical Christians in the United States is declining rapidly as older members die off with few younger Americans joining the church to replace them. That's going to have important political ramifications over the next decade. The Public Religion Research Institute [PRRI] regularly publishes the most thorough research of religious trends in America and this week they released their Census of American Religion. Their study found that the steady decline i

Donald Trump's victory in 2016 didn't happen in a vacuum. He adopted policies circulating through Europe and adapted them to America. Trump and Steve Bannon, who became his adviser on such things, saw Brexit in the UK along with the rise of Marine Le Pen in France and the election of far right politicians in Poland and Hungary as a bellwether for political change in Western democracies. It was a reactionary movement against immigration, secularism, and globalism and Bannon re

Perhaps no research that I've seen recently sums up the sad state of affairs within America's white evangelical churches than a recent survey concerning the nation's obligation to assist refugees forced to flee natural disasters, persecution, and wars. According to a survey released this week by The Pew Research Center, white evangelicals are the least likely religious group to believe that America has a moral obligation to accept refugees. Pew Research Center: "By more than

There is quite a bit of research demonstrating an anti-science bias within the Republican Party and we have reported on it in the past. Illuminate: "In just the last year the share of Republicans and Republican leaning independents who say the effect of science on society has been positive is down 13% from 70% to 57%. Democrats overwhelmingly [78%] believe that science plays a positive role in America and that hasn't waned during the pandemic." However, new research conducted

No demographic group in America has aligned itself more closely to Donald Trump than white evangelical Christians, who make up about 20-25% of the electorate and a big chunk of the Republican "base." 75% of them supported Trump in November, down a bit from 2016, but not by much. We have joined many other commentators in noting that it's an odd relationship considering the former President's rather sorted history, but no revelations about his past marital indiscretions, proof