A sociologist at Gallup is warning that the strong demographic ties between religion and politics in the United States may have a detrimental impact on the country’s future.
Frank Newport, a senior scientist at Gallup and the polling company’s former editor-in-chief, notes in a new analysis headlined The Politics of Religion that Republicans are much more likely to be Protestant and Democrats are significantly more likely to be labeled as “nones” when asked about religion in surveys.
Specifically, Newport wrote that 56 percent of Republicans in America identify as Protestant, compared to 38 percent of Democrats who do. On the flip side, 26 percent of Democrats identify as “nones,” while 11 percent of Republicans wear that label. (The percentages within each party identifying as Catholic are roughly equal, he wrote.)
The “religiosity gap is more evident than ever,” he wrote.
A strong connection between religion and politi…..