Posted: 6/11/04
Gallup Poll reveals growing number
of Americans believe in heaven, hell
By Kevin Eckstrom
Religion News Service
WASHINGTON (RNS)–While the portion of Americans who believe in God has remained relatively steady at upward of 90 percent, increasing numbers of Americans believe in heaven, hell, angels and the devil, a new Gallup poll shows.
According to the poll, 81 percent of Americans believe in heaven, and 70 percent believe in hell. Those figures are up from 72 percent and 56 percent, respectively, since 1997.
Belief in heaven or hell is stronger among Republicans, frequent church-goers, Southerners and people with a high school diploma or less.
More than three-fourths of Americans–78 percent–believe in angels, which is up from 72 percent in 1994. Belief in the devil also has grown–70 percent of Americans believe in the devil, up from 65 percent in 1994.
Eighty-four percent of women believe in angels, compared to 72 percent of men. Belief in the devil is about the same for both groups–70 percent for women, and 69 percent for men.
The 2004 figures are based on a telephone poll of 519 adults. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
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