Favorable views of religious acceptance in the workplace, the role of religion in aiding society and parental rights based on religious beliefs are on an upswing, according to a survey from the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.
Americans increasingly support religious freedom, scoring the highest-ever 69 out of 100 in the public interest law firm’s fifth annual Religious Liberty Index. Specific support was registered for parents having the right to raise their children in a way consistent with their faith.
The majority of survey respondents, 59%, said they believe religion is part of the solution to America’s woes. Last year’s results were split evenly between those who viewed faith as a solution and those who saw it as a problem.
Fifty-eight percent of respondents rejected mandates that require students and school workers to use a child’s preferred pronouns, a 12-percentage-point increase since 2021, when 54% approved of such mandates.
About 67% supported allowing parents to opt out of a curriculum that is “morally objectionable or inappropriate,” and 33% opposed opt-outs. Such opt-outs have become controversial in school districts such as Montgomery County, Maryland, where Muslim, Jewish and Christian parents are suing officials over the introduction of LGBTQ-themed children’s books for pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade classes.
“The American people sent a clear message in this year’s Index: parents don’t take a back seat to anyone when it comes to raising their children,” Mark Rienzi, president and CEO of Becket, said in a statement. “Parents want schools to teach their children math and science, not force them to embrace controversial gender ideology.”
The survey also addressed several issues such as the question of whether pro-life pregnancy counselors should be permitted to offer assistance on sidewalks near abortion clinics. About 62% of respondents approved of the practice and 38% disapproved.
Such counseling has been a divisive issue since the Supreme Court returned jurisdiction over abortion to the states in 2022. After the ruling, New York’s Westchester County enacted a law creating a 100-foot buffer zone around abortion clinics where sidewalk activism would be prohibited without explicit consent of the person approached.
Activist Debra Vitagliano sued the county, and a federal appeals court later ruled she could appeal her case to the Supreme Court. Westchester County then repealed the law, admitting that peacefully approaching someone and offering information and help is not a criminal offense.
In September, California’s attorney general said the state would not enforce provisions of a 2021 law barring protests near any health clinic offering vaccinations against sidewalk counselors at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Fresno. That clinic offers HPV vaccines and came under state law.
The Becket survey found that 73% of respondents support the protection of American Indian sacred sites against destruction from a copper mine, even if the mine would create jobs and provide a component necessary for electric vehicles. The question is part of a federal court case, Apache Stronghold v. United States.
Heart and Mind Strategies conducted Becket’s online survey Sept. 28-Oct. 5 among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 U.S. adults. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Full details of the 2023 Religious Freedom Index are available online.
• Mark A. Kellner can be reached at mkellner@washingtontimes.com.