Majority of voters plan to pray ahead of casting ballot

More than half of respondents to a recent poll by Religion News Service, including 67 percent of millennials, said they plan to pray before voting on Election Day.

A majority (58 percent) also said that religion will play anywhere from an essential to important role in whom they will support for president. Nearly a quarter said it will play an essential role. Three-quarters of respondents said their religious faith is to some degree helpful in dealing with the stress and uncertainties during this election period. Nearly all respondents (89 percent) said it is somewhat to extremely important to understand different religions. Among the other key findings:

Religious division is apparent, starting at home.

• The majority of respondents (84 percent) said religion has created divisions in the country.
• Twenty percent said religion causes conflict in their families, with 36 percent of Gen Z and nearly one-third of millennials saying that’s the case. Men and women equally said it caused family conflict.
• One-third of respondents and 46 percent of Gen Z — the highest percentage — said they witnessed religious discrimination in their community within the past year.

Relationships and religious understanding.

• The vast majority (80 percent) of respondents said they have close friends or acquaintances of different faiths. This generally holds true across demographic groups and income.
• Nearly all (89 percent) said it is very or extremely important to understand different religions.

Religion’s impact on society.

• Respondents said religion plays a role in how they think about and participate in the following issues:
  • Politics (34 percent)
  • Global issues (27 percent)
  • Charitable works (27 percent)
  • Education (25 percent)
• About half said religion plays a mostly negative role in politics but that it plays a mostly positive role in the following areas:
  • Charitable works (85 percent)
  • Health care (70 percent)
  • Arts and entertainment (67 percent)
  • Education (66 percent)
  • Global issues (62 percent)

–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice