A survey conducted Sept. 2-9 among 2,002 U.S. adults by the Pew Research Center indicates that Nearly three-quarters of the public (72%) now thinks religion is losing influence in American life, up 5 percentage points from 2010 to the highest level in Pew Research polling over the past decade. And most people who say religion's influence is waning see this as a bad thing.
This survey also points that:
A growing share of the American public wants religion to play a role in U.S. politics.
A larger percentage of the general public sees the Republican Party as friendly toward religion (47%) than sees the Democratic Party that way (29%).
A declining share of Americans sees the Obama administration as friendly toward religion; 30% now say the Obama administration is friendly toward religion, down 7 points since 2009.
About six-in-ten Americans say it is important for members of Congress to have strong religious beliefs (59%), a figure that has not changed significantly since the most recent midterm campaign in 2010.
Tri An (http://www.pewforum.org/)
