(Relevant) Paul A. Djupe and Ryan P. Burge have hit upon an interesting question over at Religion In Public, which analyzes trends in faith’s work in the public sphere. Almost everyone knows that white evangelicals overwhelmingly support President Donald Trump — but how deep does that support go? Are they more likely to obey his rules and policies than your average, run-of-the-mill political leader?
Religion In Public’s survey was taken in the early days of the pandemic, asking respondents whether or not they agreed with the statement “If the government tells us to stop gathering in person for worship I would want my congregation to defy the order.”
22 percent of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement, with 25 percent of them attending worship services. As Burge and Djupe point out, that doesn’t seem like a lot, until you realize you’re talking about 20 – 25 percent of hundreds of millions of people.