How do they see us?

 Below is an evaluation of a you.gov poll regarding religious favorability in the United States.  

The polling data can be found here:  https://d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/poll_Favorability_of_Religions_20221122.pdf 

 

 This dataset offers an interesting snapshot of American public opinion toward religious groups as of late 2022. Let’s evaluate it by looking at patterns, general trends, and notable findings in favorability, neutrality, and unfavorability.

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🔹 1. General Observations

• High neutrality: Across nearly all religions, the largest single category is “Neither favorable nor unfavorable,” generally in the 35–45% range.
  → This indicates limited familiarity or indifference toward most groups, even major denominations.

• High “Not sure” rates: Smaller or less-known groups (e.g., Bahá’í, Falun Gong, Sikhs) show 25–40% “Not sure” responses, suggesting low public awareness.

• Polarization: A few groups (e.g., Atheism, Islam, Mormonism, Scientology, Satanism) show distinctly high unfavorable ratings, reflecting polarized social perceptions.

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🔹 2. Groups with the Most Favorable Views

Combining “Very” and “Somewhat favorable” responses gives a general favorability measure:

Religion/Group	Favorability (Very + Somewhat)
Catholicism	34%
Judaism	27%
Buddhism	31%
Lutheranism	23%
Presbyterianism	25%
The Church of God in Christ	23%
Amish	27%
Pentecostalism	21%

Interpretation:
Mainstream Christian denominations and familiar religious traditions (Catholicism, Lutheranism, Presbyterianism, Judaism, Buddhism, Amish) have the most positive public perception.  This suggests a public preference for established, culturally visible, and non-confrontational religious identities.

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🔹 3. Groups with the Most Unfavorable Views

Combining “Somewhat” + “Very unfavorable”:

Religion/Group	Unfavorable (Somewhat + Very)
Satanism	58%
Scientology	59%
FLDS (Fundamentalist LDS)	41%
Jehovah’s Witnesses	44%
Atheism	33%
Islam	37%
Mormon Church (LDS)	39%
Christian Science	37%

Interpretation:
Groups associated with controversy, secrecy, or perceived extremism elicit the strongest public disapproval.

• Scientology and Satanism top the list.  

• Islam, Mormonism, and Jehovah’s Witnesses follow close behind.

• Atheism remains negatively viewed by roughly one-third of Americans.  

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🔹 4. Moderate / Familiar Christian Traditions

Groups like Lutheranism (23% favorable, 18% unfavorable) and Presbyterianism (25% favorable, 18% unfavorable) show:

• Low polarization

• High neutrality (~40%)
  → Indicating low controversy and stable, mild goodwill but not strong enthusiasm.

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🔹 5. Religion-Specific Insights

• Catholicism enjoys the highest familiarity (only 8% “Not sure”), with broad acceptance despite some scandals or doctrinal controversies.

• Judaism holds steady positive perceptions, reflecting both cultural visibility and longstanding respect among most Americans.

• Islam’s high unfavorable rating (37%) indicates persistent Islamophobia despite 20+ years of public discourse.

• Atheism divides opinion sharply, with roughly equal positive and negative ratings.

• Lesser-known Eastern religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism) tend toward neutral rather than unfavorable views—indicating tolerance through unfamiliarity rather than deep approval.

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🔹 6. Thematic Summary

Category	Public Perception Pattern
Mainline Christian groups (Lutheran, Presbyterian, Anglican, Episcopal)	Generally positive to neutral; low hostility.
Evangelical / Pentecostal / Holiness groups	Moderate positivity but mixed awareness; some negative association with fundamentalism.
Minor or newer movements (Scientology, FLDS, Christian Science)	Strong negative perceptions; viewed skeptically.
World religions (Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism)	Moderate familiarity; Buddhism and Judaism viewed most favorably.  Islam viewed unfavorably.
Nonreligious (Agnostic, Atheist)	Mixed; still socially marginalized among many Americans.
Esoteric or stigmatized (Satanism, Scientology)	Overwhelmingly negative.

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🔹 7. Overall Evaluation

This survey reveals that in late 2022:

• Americans remain broadly tolerant but largely uninformed about most religions.

• Familiarity correlates with favorability 

• Perceived extremism or secrecy (e.g., Scientology, FLDS) dramatically reduces favorability.

• The "mainstream middle" (Lutheran, Presbyterian, Anglican, Catholic) remains stable and nonpolarized — respected but not passionately embraced.

• Polarized minorities (Atheists, Muslims, Mormons) illustrate ongoing cultural and ideological divisions.

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