Religious Jews in America are more apt to be politically conservative, according to the findings of a survey. The second report on the “U.S. Religious Landscape Survey” conducted by The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, released Monday, contains findings on the diversity in faith of Americans, the importance of religion to Americans and the relationship between religion and politics.
According to Monday’s report, Jews, along with Buddhists and Hindus, are most likely to describe their political ideology as liberal. But Jews who say religion is very important to them or pray every day are “more likely than others to be politically conservative.” The report found that Americans, while highly religious, are not dogmatic about their beliefs.
Seventy percent of religiously affiliated Americans said they believe theirs is not the only religion that leads to salvation.
Most of those surveyed rank the importance of religion “very highly in their lives,” and a plurality hopes to preserve their faith’s traditions and practices.
Similarly, seven in 10 Americans say they are absolutely certain of God’s existence, while roughly one in five are less certain in their belief.
According to the report, “Six in 10 adults believe that God is a person with whom people can have a relationship, but one in four — including about half of Jews and Hindus — see God as an impersonal force.”
The first report on the survey was published in February.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
