Growing Number of Americans Say Religion Gaining Influence in Society

A growing number of Americans say religion is gaining influence in society, a Pew Research survey found.

According to the findings, 37 percent of Americans now say that religion is gaining influence in American life, reflecting a trending jump in the last few years.

While 61 percent say religion is losing influence in American life, that represents a dramatic fall in those sentiments over the last few years as well.

Pew Research put it in further perspective: “The share saying religion is gaining influence has risen 19 percentage points in the last two years and is now as high as it has been in Center surveys going back to 2002.”

Of those who believe religion’s influence is growing, most, 55 percent, view that as a positive thing.

While only 17 percent of those surveyed believe that the U.S. should take things a step further and declare Christianity the nation’s official religion, a plurality, 43 percent, believe that the U.S. should not make an official declaration but still “promote Christian moral values.”

Overall, 38 percent said the U.S. should not declare Christianity as the country’s official religion, and they do not believe the U.S. should promote Christian moral values, either.

Respondents were also asked, “When the Bible and will of the people conflict, which should have more influence on U.S. laws?” Twenty-eight percent said the Bible, and 21 percent said the will of the people. Another 48 percent said the Bible should not have much of an influence – or none at all – on U.S. laws.

The survey was taken April 6-12, 2026. It came ahead of the Trump administration’s massive “Rededicate 250″ celebration on the National Mall, which took place on May 17. The day, which largely kicked off America’s upcoming semiquincentennial celebration, was described as a “National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving,” where Americans will rededicate the country to the Creator and seek His guidance for the next 250 years.

Ambassador Monica Crowley, who is helping lead America’s Freedom 250 celebration, told Breitbart News at a recent event that President Donald Trump aims to “restore America back to her foundational principles of individual liberty, economic freedom, and self-governance, and restore power back to the people,” but that it is not possible without going back to the core pillars.

“You have to have God,” she said.

“Our Founding Fathers in so many of their documents and their letters refer to God and how they couldn’t do what they did in establishing our exceptional country without the hand of God on them, and they recognized that at the time,” she said, explaining that the U.S. cannot move forward without God’s help.

“So now here we are, 250 years later, restoring the Republic, and we certainly cannot do it without him. So this is why we decided that we were going to have the national prayer event on the National Mall as really the first big event to kick off a whole series of events of celebration,” she said.

Crowley added, “It is really a national jubilee of prayer, faith, repentance, redemption, and thanksgiving for all of the blessings that we have had in this country for the last 250 years. It’s about renewing our personal faith in God. It’s about coming together as a national community to restore this nation as one nation under God.”