Study Shows Republicans are Much More Religious Than Democrats

Republicans are significantly more religious than Democrats on key measures of faith, including belief in God, daily prayer and regular worship attendance, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis

The study highlights stark partisan divides in American spirituality.

The findings, drawn from Pew’s 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study conducted between July 17, 2023, and March 4, 2024, underscore how religious observance remains a cornerstone of Republican identity across racial lines, while it varies widely among Democrats.

Overall, 66% of Republicans believe in God with absolute certainty, compared with 41% of Democrats.

Republicans are also more likely to pray daily, with 52% doing so versus 35% of Democrats.

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Nearly half of Republicans, 48%, say religion is very important in their lives, more than the 28% of Democrats who feel the same. On worship attendance, 41% of Republicans go to religious services monthly or more often, double the 24% share among Democrats.

Pew combined these metrics into a religiousness scale scored from 0 to 8. Republicans are about twice as likely as Democrats to score high on the scale, while Democrats are more than twice as likely to score low.

The partisan gap persists even when accounting for racial and ethnic differences, though the patterns diverge sharply within each party.

Among Republicans, religiousness levels are “fairly similar” across White, Black and Hispanic members, with Asian Republicans showing somewhat lower observance. About two-thirds of White, Black and Hispanic Republicans express absolute certainty in God, compared with 46% of Asian Republicans.

Nearly two-thirds of White, Black and Hispanic Republicans fall into high or medium-high categories on the religiousness scale, versus 51% of Asian Republicans. A

bout eight-in-ten Republicans overall identify with a religion. In contrast, religiousness “varies a lot by race” among Democrats, with Black Democrats standing out as far more devout than their White and Asian counterparts.

Three-quarters of Black Democrats, 75%, believe in God with absolute certainty, compared with 48% of Hispanic Democrats, 29% of White Democrats and 29% of Asian Democrats. On the religiousness scale, 74% of Black Democrats score at least medium-high — a higher share than any racial or ethnic group in either party.

White Democrats are the least religious of all, with just 26% in that category.

Prayer habits follow a similar trend among Democrats, with higher shares of Black and Hispanic members praying daily than White or Asian Democrats. About six-in-ten Democrats identify with a religion, leaving 40% religiously unaffiliated.

Black Democrats are the most affiliated at 79%, with 76% identifying as Christian; 67% of Hispanic Democrats and 60% of Asian Democrats belong to a faith, while White Democrats are more evenly split.

The analysis, published Nov. 20, points to these differences as a reflection of broader cultural and demographic shifts in U.S. politics, where faith continues to align more closely with conservative values.

The data was collected from a nationally representative survey of more than 35,000 U.S. adults.