By CatholicVote | Created at 2025-01-22 00:01:25 | Updated at 2025-01-22 04:54:22
4 hours ago
CV NEWS FEED // Americans’ support for religious freedom in the U.S. hit its highest overall score in 2024, as measured by a recent report from The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a nonprofit law firm.
Becket released its 2024 Religious Freedom Index Jan. 16 and reported that support for religious freedom measured at 70 on a scale from 0 to 100, up just slightly from 2023, when the score was 69. The Index first measured support for religious freedom in 2019, when the score registered at 67.
According to the report, participants were asked 21 questions about religious liberty, which ranged from the relationship between church and state to the freedom to evangelize. Becket noted key findings from 2024, reporting that Americans are “wary of government interference” and “crave a culture that values religious freedom.”
Becket also found that differing views on abortion have not led to a divide in support for religious liberty. According to the Index, “70% of Americans oppose requiring religious nonprofits to cover abortions for their employees.”
The report additionally noted that Gen Z was overwhelmingly supportive of religious liberty, including evangelization, religious plurality, and permitting religious individuals to act in accord with their consciences.
“Gen Z’s embrace of religious pluralism is particularly pronounced, with 66% completely accepting and supporting the freedom to practice one’s religious beliefs, even if they are contrary to accepted majority practices — the highest level of any generation,” Becket reported. “This reflects a growing commitment among younger Americans to protect religious freedom as an essential part of their future.”
The Index also asked respondents to rank different branches of government according to how much they have done to protect religious freedom. Nearly one-third agreed that the courts do the most for religious liberty, while just 14% said the same of the Biden administration.
“This comes as no surprise, given the Supreme Court’s key role in landmark decisions like Little Sisters of the Poor, which upheld the rights of Catholic nuns against mandates to provide contraceptives, and Agudath Israel of America v. Cuomo which defended religious freedom during COVID-19 restrictions,” Becket reported. “These rulings, along with others, highlight the judiciary’s significant impact in safeguarding the freedom of religion when other branches may fall short.”
Mark Rienzi, president and CEO of Becket, celebrated the findings of the Index with a statement in a news release.
“Americans drew a line in the sand in this year’s Index: [the] government doesn’t get to push people around for keeping the faith,” Rienzi said. “From coast to coast, we witnessed a groundswell of support for Americans to live out their faith in public, even when their beliefs cut against the grain.”
