The election is just a few days off, and the Pew Research Center is out with some interesting new data about the religious composition of American voters.
The results probably won’t surprise anyone who has been following the changing face of the country’s religious profile. As the number of people who say they have no religion continues to rise, the number of self-professed Christians is dropping.
Christians still account for a majority of American voters at 64%. But that figure was much higher – 79% – just 12 years ago. During that same 12-year period, the percentage of voters who are religiously unaffiliated has nearly doubled, growing from 15% to 28%.
Pew also shows some stark differences between the parties. For example, nearly 80% of registered Republicans are Christian. For Democrats, that number is 52%. Democrats are much more likely to be religiously unaffiliated. They now make up 38% of Democratic voters. For Republicans, the figure is much lower at 15%.
Data like this is interesting, but it doesn’t tell us much about what really matters: turnout. Tens of millions of Americans have already voted. If you’re among them, good for you. If not, and you’re eligible, we hope you’ll make your voice heard next week.
Voting is especially important this year because we’re fighting for religious freedom like our rights depend on it – because they do! Much is at stake. Don’t sit this one out.
