poll_undergod_81103

Posted: 8/8/03

Majority approve of reciting 'under God'

WASHINGTON (RNS)–More than 60 percent of Americans think government officials should be able to post the Ten Commandments in government buildings and believe it is constitutional for teachers to lead the recitation of “one nation under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.

The “State of the First Amendment 2003” survey, released Aug. 1, was jointly commissioned by the First Amendment Center and the American Journalism Review.

Sixty-eight percent of respondents said teachers leading the pledge with the words “one nation under God” were not violating the principle of separation of church and state, while 26 percent said they were.

Sixty-two percent of those surveyed agreed with the statement that government officials should be allowed to post the Ten Commandments within government buildings, while 35 percent said they should not.

Researchers found 60 percent of respondents favored allowing the government to give money to churches or other religious institutions to help them operate programs that aim to prevent drug abuse, even if they include a religious message in their program. Thirty-six percent opposed such funding.

However, those favoring such activities often do not view them as religious actions, noted Kenneth Paulson, executive director of the First Amendment Center. “Most of those surveyed regarded government references to God as civic rather than spiritual.”

He cited the finding that 73 percent of respondents said the pledge, including the words “one nation under God,” is “primarily a statement related to the American political tradition,” while 18 percent said it was primarily a religious statement.

The Center for Survey Research & Analysis at the University of Connecticut surveyed 1,000 Americans during June 3-15. The results have a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.