September 22nd 2024.
In a recent survey conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs, Americans were asked about their perceptions of Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump's religious beliefs. While Harris is a Baptist who was influenced by her mother's Indian heritage, Trump grew up as a mainline Presbyterian but began identifying as a nondenominational Christian towards the end of his presidency.
Interestingly, only a small percentage of Americans view either candidate as particularly Christian, with only 14% saying the word "Christian" describes Harris or Trump "extremely" or "very" well. This is in stark contrast to the strong support Trump receives from white evangelical Protestants, with about 7 in 10 viewing him favorably. However, only about half of this group believes that Trump best represents their beliefs, while about 1 in 10 say the same about Harris. Additionally, around 2 in 10 white evangelical Protestants say that "Christian" describes Trump "extremely" or "very" well.
According to R. Marie Griffith, a professor of religion and politics at Washington University in St. Louis, this lack of concern about Trump's religious beliefs among his loyal base is indicative of a shift in how white evangelicals view morality and religion in politics. She explains that this group tends to take care of their own, but sees liberal outsiders as evil, making it unimaginable for them to support a Democrat.
Griffith also points to evangelical leaders pushing the idea that Trump is "God's man" and that it doesn't matter if he is moral or religious. This idea was echoed by Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a conservative Christian and Trump's former White House press secretary, who invoked God when addressing the first assassination attempt against Trump at the Republican National Convention.
Anthea Butler, a professor of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania, believes that white evangelicals see Trump as instrumental in achieving their goals, such as his appointment of conservative, anti-abortion justices to the Supreme Court. She states that "he's their guy no matter what."
For Harris, a large majority of her fellow Black Protestants view her favorably, and about 6 in 10 say she best represents their religious beliefs. However, only about 4 in 10 say that "Christian" describes her "very" or "extremely" well. This is still higher than the overall share of Democrats who view Harris in this way, at around one-quarter.
Butler is not surprised by the low esteem for Trump among Black Protestants, who are more likely to see Harris, a Baptist with influences from her mother's spiritual tradition in India, as Christian. She believes that African Americans have a better understanding of interfaith families, as it is common in their communities.
Overall, about half of Americans surveyed say that "Christian" at least "somewhat" describes Harris, while about one-third say the same about Trump. Griffith questions whether this may be due to a lack of knowledge about Harris, who joined the race late and became the Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden was pressured to step away in July.
To mobilize voters for Harris, the progressive group Black Church PAC is encouraging pastors to ask their congregants to check their voter registration status and prepare to use the church bus to give rides to the polls. The Rev. Traci Blackmon, a Missouri-based United Church of Christ minister, praises Harris as "not perfect" but "competent, prepared, and qualified." She adds that Harris is faithful to her promises and courageous enough to say what she won't do.
When Americans were asked if they would use the words "honest" or "moral" to describe the candidates, neither Harris nor Trump received high ratings. About one-third say these words describe Harris "extremely" or "very" well, while about 15% say the same for Trump. When including those who say these words describe the candidates "somewhat" well, Harris's ratings rise to over half, while Trump's remain at about one-third.
Griffith suggests that this may be a reflection of a deep cynicism about politics, with people believing that all politicians are liars. The poll, which surveyed 2,028 adults from September 12-16, 2024, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. This poll was conducted using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, designed to be representative of the U.S. population.
The AP's religion coverage is supported by their collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from the Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
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