Poll: 9 In 10 Americans Still Believe In God

A poll released by Gallup on Friday found that 92 percent of Americans still say "yes" to the simple question, "Do you believe in God?"

A breakdown of responses finds American women to believe in God at a higher rate than men (94 percent to 90 percent) and a clear distinction between younger and older demographics. Only 84 percent of 18 to 29 year olds responded "yes" to the question, compared to 94 percent of older respondents.

Despite what seems like a remarkably high number, this result marks the lowest rate of positive responses since Gallup began measuring Americans' belief in God in 1944. In that year, 96 percent of respondents said "yes". The question received a 98 percent affirmative response in a series of polls conducted between 1953 and 1967.

Other analysis of the poll results show only slight variation associated with levels of education, regional geography, and political affiliation.

The largest shift in responses resulted when the phrasing of the question was changed to allow for levels of doubt or the alternate response of belief in a "universal spirit". To this question, 86 percent said they believe in God and 12 percent a "universal spirit". This sum of 98 percent indicates that there is at least a notable 6 percent segment of the population that expresses some level of belief but is not willing to call it by the term "God".

Salon noted the large disparity between these results those of similar polls conducted among residents of other countries, particularly Canada and the United Kingdom.

Meanwhile, The Christian Post found significance in the fact that "no" responses had risen from only 1 percent in 1944 to 7 percent in 2011.

Comments

[G2G]

10:20 PM on 06/12/2011

Since everyone's definition of God is different, for centuries, organized religion has played the role of defining God for their followers in order to put them on "one accord." Unlike today, in centuries past, the professed belief in God was literally a requirement for life on earth in many societies.

At that time, and today, many people openly professed to a belief in God, while silently believing otherwise. These people knew the open expression of their true beliefs had real world consequences when they were not inline with those of the establishment or the majority. What poll could quantify these numbers?

Although the article states that there is "only slight variation associated with levels of education, regional geography, and political affiliation," this information provides no real insight into the belief that the more educated a person is or becomes, especially in the physical sciences, the less likely they are to believe in an anthropomorphic God.

Would the same Gallup poll conducted on America's prison population provide similar results?

Whether or not an American citizen will make a positive contribution to the betterment of society, refrain from criminal activity, and other immoral conduct, is not dependent upon a belief in God.

However, it is dependent upon how they treat their fellow Americans (mankind), including atheists, agnostics, and non-believers.

...on that point, we should all agree!

[brokerallen]

03:31 PM on 06/12/2011

That's very encouraging. While many have some growing to do at least 90% are on the right track.
Praise God!!!

[Fidel Kabassu]

02:28 PM on 06/12/2011

Yeah! with their mouths. Those who act like Christ are less than 5%. Faux news is full of those who believe by mouth and not by actions.

[yorick99]

11:35 AM on 06/12/2011

A better poll would be to ask if the Bible, Torah, Qur'an, or other religious texts are really the word of, or inspired by, God. My guess the percentage would be much lower.

[raker]

09:50 AM on 06/12/2011

This poll means nothing without first defining god. Lots of people want to say they believe in something so they say god is a good feeling they have when they think about the universe. If god doesn't mean anything in particular then it's easy to find a majority of "believers."

I'd like to see the results of a poll that asks people if they believe in a god as defined by the fairly standard religious idea of god: omnipotent supernatural creator of the universe, dispenser of punishments and executions for misdeeds, and the one who gives snow days and Superbowl victories and Grammy awards in answer to fervent prayers.

[OvertOddity]

06:53 AM on 06/12/2011

9 in 10 Americans need a reality check. Those who genuinely are deluded, that is. I suspect most have just been conditioned into belief by family tradition.

[El Superbeasto]

01:51 AM on 06/12/2011

what did they call, a sample of 60-year olds? I don't believe it. I hardly know a person that would admit they believe in one or many gods. must be lots of dummies out there.

[jm26dream]

03:04 PM on 06/11/2011

It bothers me that people believe in God, why can't I convince these morons to be smart like me, an atheist? We need the government to legislate faith to conform to my ways

[Paul Robertson]

09:35 PM on 06/11/2011

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that you're not really an atheist. You seem to feel persecuted, so I'll go one step further and assume that you're a member of the Christian majority in the US. Now, perhaps you can explain how, in a country where there are constant attempts to legislate the Christian religion, you can possibly feel that atheism is being legislated?
Here are some examples for you:
* attempts to teach religion in the science classroom in the form of creationism/intelligent design.
* legislated attacks on potentially life-saving scientific research such as stem-cell research.
* blocking of support for green initiatives and attacks on the science of global warming for a variety of bizarre biblical reasons
* constant attacks on the (perfectly legal) procedure of abortion
* persecution of gays on the basis of biblical prejudices
* tax exemptions for religion
* a shopping list of "moral" prohibitions such as the hopeless war on drugs
* a policy of aggressive military and economic interference in the Middle East because of some end-times prophesies.

Need I go on? And what persecution do you suffer? Sometimes, very rarely, someone claims the right to opt out of one of a religious celebrations that our religious friends seem to think should be compulsory? Or they threaten to take away the tax exemption that you shouldn't have in the first place on the basis of some more outrageous than normal political interference? That's persecution?

[ToniQ]

01:40 AM on 06/12/2011

cogent, insightful, well said

[jm26dream]

02:38 PM on 06/13/2011

I'm just poking fun at atheists who have a superiority complex on the basis that "I am the end all and be all of knowledge". In real life I'm Christian but I don't go pushing on people unless I find a self-important atheist to mess around with. My closest friends are atheist, based on their not believing in a theory that does seem unrealistic. We get along fine because we don't bother arguing about it, we just agree to disagree and move on.

My belief in God is that there is a force in the universe that man cannot understand, BUT it's man's nature to try to understand, so he makes up stuff which gets distorted in translation over the years and that in turn creates more atheists who see it as bs. In turn, many atheists become too self important in thinking, oh look at all these stupid people, why can't they be like me? Then they point out human faults of the religious right which has less to do with religion, as it does with how there is bad in EVERY person, as well as good. In the meantime there are various phenomena around the world and universe that even science cannot explain, and even those that science CAN explain, which i attribute to God...as in, God and science are not mutually exclusive in my eyes. In my eyes, evolution and creationism are the same thing, just misunderstood.

[multidoc]

10:01 PM on 06/11/2011

At least your final sentence was honest.

[TYRANNASAURUS]

11:19 AM on 06/11/2011

Poll: 9 In 10 Americans Still Believe In God........

THIS IS THE DEFINITIVE ANSWER TO WHY THIS COUNTRY IS FALLING SO FAR BEHIND THE CURVE........... in this day of the internet and information at ones finger tips you'd think people would want to become more educated.....but no.... the good Christians use it to watch porn in the middle of the night...... with the lights off of course.

[jtabs]

10:03 AM on 06/11/2011

And therein lies the problem.

[Counterglow]

07:31 AM on 06/11/2011

I bet the percentage of Americans who believe they live in a demcracy is just about the same. LOL. People do love delusions, don't they!

[Free Your Mind]

05:59 AM on 06/11/2011

Yet still people in US elect officials who spread death, destruction, suffering and corruption all over the world. It's either complete lack of understanding of God's teachings, or ultimate hypocrisy.

[NHBill]

01:10 AM on 06/11/2011

God is a concept,
By which we can measure,
Our pain,
I'll say it again,
God is a concept,
By which we can measure,
Our pain,
I don't believe in magic,
I don't believe in I-ching,
I don't believe in bible,
I don't believe in tarot,
I don't believe in Hitler,
I don't believe in Jesus,
I don't believe in Kennedy,
I don't believe in Buddha,
I don't believe in mantra,
I don't believe in Gita,
I don't believe in yoga,
I don't believe in kings,
I don't believe in Elvis,
I don't believe in Zimmerman,
I don't believe in Beatles,
I just believe in me,
Yoko and me,
And that's reality.
The dream is over,
What can I say?
The dream is over,
Yesterday,
I was dreamweaver,
But now I'm reborn,
I was the walrus,
But now I'm John,
And so dear friends,
You just have to carry on,
The dream is over.

-- John

[NHBill]

01:05 AM on 06/11/2011

Sigh.

[jhnnxn]

12:53 AM on 06/11/2011

Here's a little exercise to try. Everytime you're about to say the word "god", stop yourself and instead replace it with the phrase "I don't know"