How News Sources Portray Religious Freedom Policies
This chart shows how major news sources across the ideological spectrum frame religious freedom policies, from left to right-leaning perspectives.
Religious freedom refers to an individual’s ability to practice or not practice any form of religion in the United States. In America, freedom of religious practice is a constitutional right guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution. While Christianity is the predominant religion in the country, the United States has no official religion because of this amendment.
Prior to the establishment of the United States, many European citizens fled religious persecution from England and sought refuge in modern-day America. However, many individuals throughout the early colonies also felt that having an established religion was important to society. This led to some colonies, such as Plymouth and Massachusetts, establishing official churches, while others, like Rhode Island and Connecticut, promoted a freedom of religion policy.
Founding Father Thomas Jefferson was a strong proponent of religious freedom during and after the creation of the First Amendment in 1791. During his presidential term, he refused to declare Thanksgiving as a national day of prayer. Both he and his successor, James Madison, vetoed religious-oriented bills that would violate the First Amendment.
For well over a century to follow, religious freedom was a point of contention across the United States. The First Amendment applied only to the federal level, so many states continued to designate official churches and religions even into the 1940s. A 1947 Supreme Court case, Everson v. Board of Education, finally established a separation of church and state at both the federal and state levels.
In modern times, religious freedom in the United States remains a contentious topic. Debate persists around whether the United States should recognize an official religion, whether Christian values should be prioritized over other religions, and whether businesses should be allowed to turn away individuals who do not align with their values, such as LGBT equality.
The Democratic Response
The Democratic Party stance on religious freedom is strongly in support of the policy. In an April 2024 AP-NORC poll, 84% of all Americans viewed the freedom of religion as extremely/very or somewhat important to the United States’ identity, including 61% of Democrats who viewed it as extremely/very important.
However, contrast with the Republican Party emerged when asking whether a United States culture grounded in Christian religious values was important. Only 18% of Democrats felt that this was extremely/very important.
In 2022, President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act, which required the government and all states/territories to recognize same-sex marriages while protecting religious freedom. It also repealed the Defense of Marriage Act, which banned federal recognition of same-sex marriages and recognized marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
One point of controversy in recent years has been whether or not small business owners with Christian values should be able to decline service to people they disagree with. In a 2023 PRRI survey, 60% of Americans opposed small businesses being allowed to refuse service, including 82% of Democratic voters.
Conversely, a 2024 Pew Research poll found that 50% of Americans felt that liberals who were not religious had gone too far in trying to keep religious values out of the government and public schools. The same survey showed that 48% of Americans believed conservative Christians had gone too far in pushing their religious values into the government and schools.
Recent polling suggests many Americans perceive the free exercise of religion as constrained by policy and bureaucratic decisions. In the 2024 Religious Freedom Index, only 36% said society is at least “a good amount” accepting of people of faith living according to their beliefs, even though 73% reported being personally accepting.
Majorities also resisted specific government actions seen as intrusive: 56% opposed Massachusetts’ denial of a foster-care license to a Catholic couple based on their religious beliefs, rising to 67% after respondents learned additional details. Strong majorities said the government should not require religious organizations to pay for abortions against their beliefs (70%) and supported equal eligibility for religious charities to receive public funds (73%). Taken together, these findings indicate a broad concern that contemporary policy choices are encroaching on religious exercise.
The Republican Response
The Republican Party also strongly supports religious freedom. In an April 2024 AP-NORC poll, the share of Republicans believing freedom of religion is extremely/very or somewhat important stood at 66%. In contrast to the 18% of Democrats who felt a United States culture grounded in Christian religious values was important, 58% of Republicans felt that way.
Support for allowing small businesses to decline services to people they disagree with has increased among Republican voters in the past decade, according to a 2023 PRRI survey. In 2015, 40% of conservatives opposed allowing businesses to do so. In 2023, that number dropped to 34%.
In May 2025, President Donald Trump established the Religious Liberty Commission, which he stated would investigate and recommend policies to safeguard religious freedom in the United States. He also established a task force to reduce anti-Christian bias across the country.
