A majority of Americans continue to believe religion has a positive influence on society, although support for that view has declined over the past decade, according to a new Gallup survey.
The poll, conducted May 1–17 among 1,001 adults nationwide, found that 65% of respondents believe the United States would be better off if more Americans were religious. While that remains a clear majority, it represents a decline from 75% who expressed the same view in 2013.
At the same time, the percentage of Americans who believe a more religious society would be harmful increased from 17% to 22% over the same period.
Gallup reported that confidence in religion’s societal value has fallen among most demographic and political groups, with some of the largest declines occurring among Democrats, younger adults, women and individuals with some college education.
Not all groups followed the downward trend, however. Among Republicans, support for religion’s positive role increased from 91% in 2013 to 94% in 2026. Catholics also showed increased support, rising from 80% to 85%, while support among religiously unaffiliated Americans rose slightly from 24% to 27%.
Gender differences were also evident in the findings. The percentage of men who viewed religion as beneficial to society declined modestly from 73% to 70%, while support among women dropped more sharply, falling from 77% to 61%.
Separate Gallup research released earlier this year pointed to a notable rise in religious commitment among young men.
According to that report, 42% of men ages 18 to 29 surveyed in 2024 and 2025 said religion was “very important” in their lives, compared with 28% in surveys conducted during 2022 and 2023.
Gallup also found that young men now report higher levels of religious commitment than young women. Among adults ages 18 to 29, 42% of men said religion was “very important” to them, compared with 29% of women.
The latest survey additionally examined public attitudes toward the relationship between government and moral values.
Nearly seven in 10 Americans now believe government policies influence moral values, an increase of roughly 10 percentage points since 2006. Only 27% disagreed with that assessment.
When asked whether government should promote moral values, half of respondents said it should not, while 45% said it should play such a role.
Gallup researchers noted that belief in the government's influence on moral values has increased substantially across the population during the past two decades.
“All major demographic groups are more likely than 20 years ago to believe that government policies affect people’s values. Republicans, young adults, Catholics, and those with no religious affiliation show larger increases, ranging between 17 and 19 percentage points,” researchers note.
“Republicans, Catholics, young adults, and those who attend religious services weekly are also the groups who are now most likely to believe government policies can influence moral values.”
