Here are five insights that Gallup research reveals about this often-cited but not necessarily clearly understood group of Americans.
- There has been little change in the percentage of Americans who identify as “born-again or evangelical” over the past 27 years.
- There have been shifts in other religious indicators over this same period, even as the born-again/evangelical population has remained generally constant.
- The born-again/evangelical population in this country is highest among blacks, who are overall the most religious racial and ethnic group in the U.S.
- Non-Hispanic whites who identify as born-again or evangelical have been and continue to be more likely to have Republican inclinations.
- A significantly smaller percentage of Americans identify as “an evangelical” than identify as “born-again or evangelical.”
5 Things to Know About Evangelicals in America
WASHINGTON, D.C. — There are many contemporary references to “evangelicals” in the context of the current American political scene. This is not new. I co-authored (with Stuart Rothenberg) a book aptly called The Evangelical Voter during the Reagan presidency more than 30 years ago, focusing on this group of voters and their impact on politics.