Some would think that the rise of President Donald Trump proved that a majority of Americans were not ready for the complete separation of church and state. But a new poll conducted by Public Religion Research Institute revealed that every major religious group in the U.S. is against businesses discriminating against gay and lesbian people based on religion.
It was the first time a PRRI poll found this result.
“For the first time in a PRRI poll of this size, no major religious group reports majority support for religiously based service refusals of gay and lesbian Americans,” Robert P. Jones, PRRI CEO, said in a press release. “And most religious groups today support same-sex marriage. The religious groups in which majorities oppose same-sex marriage make up less than 20 percent of the public.”
More than 60 percent of Americans taking the survey indicated that they opposed the idea of small business owners in their state refusing to provide products or services to gay and lesbian people — even if doing so would violate their religious beliefs.
Only 50 percent of white evangelical Protestants and fewer than half of Mormons (42 percent), Hispanic Protestants (34 percent), black Protestants (25 percent), and Jehovah’s Witnesses (25 percent) believe that small business owners should have the right to refuse services to gay and lesbian people.
“At a time when Americans appear more divided than ever by partisanship and religion, there is increasing evidence that debates over gay rights have a short shelf life,” Dan Cox, PRRI research director, said. “For the first time since PRRI has polled on this issue, a majority of young Republicans and young white evangelical Protestants support same-sex marriage.”
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