Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- A survey reveals Latter-day Saints prefer to separate politics from religion more than other religious groups, but church members remain civically engaged.
- Faith leaders can counter polarization by emphasizing shared values, with 47% of Latter-day Saints valuing social issue discussions in religion.
- The survey shows 59% of Latter-day Saints feel judged and misrepresented, highlighting the need for better community connections.
SALT LAKE CITY — A recent survey found members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are less in favor of having political conversations in religious settings than members of other religious groups, but are still civically engaged.
The More in Common survey and opinions of focus groups, which included almost 200 Latter-day Saints and hundreds of people of other faiths, were discussed this week in a virtual meeting hosted by Mormon Women for Ethical Government.
Jennifer Walker Thomas, co-executive director of the women's organization, said the research was "very inspirational" to Mormon Women for Ethical Government and provides "positive possibilities." She said women involved in politics can sometimes feel misunderstood by members of their faith, and it has been helpful to have data to share with people showing Latter-day Saints often don't want to have those political conversations in church spaces but are still happy that people are involved politically elsewhere.
Coco Xu, a researcher at More in Common, said media and conversations about religion often focus on voting behaviors rather than daily life or theology — but research finds most religious Americans, including Latter-day Saints, don't want politics associated with their religion.
However, she said faith has the potential to provide solutions for division and polarization because people trust religion more than any other institution. She also said religion remains important to about 70% of Americans.
"Faith leaders can actually counter polarization by drawing on these rich resources rooted in their own faith traditions, highlighting shared values such as humility, kindness, self-reflection and dignity. Faith leaders can build common ground, reduce fear and foster unity," Xu said.
She reviewed the data showing 47% of Latter-day Saints think discussing social issues is an important part of being involved in a religion, and 22% said discussing political issues is an important part — fewer than every other group. Across the board, people were more likely to think social issues were more important to religion than politics.
Xu said 3% of Latter-day Saints said they turn to faith to express political views — half as many as any other group — although, as a whole, survey respondents rated politics at the bottom of the list of reasons why they turn to religion.
"Most (Latter-day Saint) Americans are resistant to what they see as an intrusion of politics in religious settings. Instead, spirituality, community and service are much more important components of their religious life," she said.
The church had the highest percentage of people reporting that they turn to religious communities to find comfort, guidance, a sense of belonging or to provide resources or be part of a community. They also had the highest percentage of people, 55%, reporting they attend services once a week or more.
She said Latter-day Saint Americans feel polarization at a personal level, and many reported struggling to find a political home reflecting their values.
Xu said the survey found about half of Latter-day Saints and a high percentage of other people of faith feel their religion is under attack in the United States. She said this is significant because when people feel attacked, it is harder for them to engage with others.
For Latter-day Saints, 59% said they feel more judged than other religions, and 67% said they feel politics and media misrepresent their religion — much higher than the percentage of people in other religions.
"We really need to work hard in every possible way to reduce people's perceptions of threats, and the ultimate answer is that we need healthy communities and better connection with one another," Xu said.
Julia Coffin, a senior associate with More in Common, said faith is still relevant to many Americans and people are eager to talk about it. She said she hopes the data in this research empowers people to talk about their faith.
"There was just this appetite of curiosity," she said.
She was heartened by the willingness people had to share this part of their identity. She said if people use talking about religion as a relationship building tool, it could change perceptions.
Thomas encouraged interfaith work to change and broaden religious perceptions.
"I think members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints really do have a sincere desire to positively influence our communities and our nation," she said.
