more Americans believe in God than devil, heaven than hell
[detailed tables in original omitted because they format crappily]
http://www.galluppoll.com/content/?ci=3D27877
June 13, 2007 Americans More Likely to Believe in God Than the Devil, Heaven More =
Than Hell Belief in the Devil has increased since 2000
by Frank Newport GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ — Roughly 9 in 10 Americans believe in God or a =
universal spirit, while fewer than 10% are firm in their belief that =
there is no God. Eighty-one percent of Americans believe in heaven. =
At the same time, 7 in 10 profess belief in the Devil and in hell. =
These updates of Americans’ beliefs were measured in a May 10-13, =
2007, Gallup poll survey.
The survey contained two different questions about God, each asked of =
a random half of the survey’s respondents.
The first split-sample was asked a straightforward question about =
belief in God as part of a question that asked about five different =
religious or spiritual entities:
For each of the following items I am going to read you, please tell =
me whether it is something you believe in, something you’re not sure =
about, or something you don’t believe in. First, … Next, … =
[RANDOM ORDER]?
2007 May 10-13 (sorted by “believe in”)
Believe in 86%
Not sure about 8
Don’t believe in God 6
The other half of the sample was asked this question:
Which of the following statements comes closest to your belief about =
God — you believe in God, you don’t believe in God, but you do =
believe in a universal spirit or higher power, or you don’t believe =
in either?
Believe in God 78%
Believe in universal spirit 14
Don’t believe in either 7
A comparison of the responses to these two questions makes it clear =
that self-reported belief in God varies slightly depending on the =
alternatives posed in the question. The percentage of Americans who =
profess a firm belief in God is estimated at 78% when the respondent =
is allowed the alternative option “a universal spirit or higher =
power”. Firm belief in God increases to 86% when the alternative is =
“something you’re not sure about”.
Between 6% and 7% of Americans are willing to tell an interviewer =
that they do not believe in God, regardless of the way the question =
is asked.
Americans are less likely to say they believe in other spiritual or =
religious entities than they are to profess belief in God.
More Americans say they believe in heaven than say they believe it =
its counterpart, hell. And more Americans say they believe in God =
than say they believe in the Devil. Three-quarters of Americans say =
they believe in angels.
There has been some change in these measures of belief in the Devil =
over time. In several surveys conducted in the 1990s, less than 60% =
of Americans said that they believed in the Devil. The three surveys =
conducted since 2001 have all shown roughly 7 out of 10 Americans =
saying that they believe in the Devil. It is important to note, =
however, that there have been changes in the context in which the =
belief in the Devil question has been asked. Some older Gallup =
surveys included the Devil in a list of things such as witches, =
reincarnation, and ghosts. The three surveys conducted since 2001 =
have included the Devil in a list of more directly religious =
entities. These changes make it difficult to ascertain if there has =
been a real change in belief structures, or if the changes are due =
more to respondents’ views of which “type” of Devil is being discussed.
Survey Methods
These results are based on telephone interviews with a randomly =
selected national sample of 1,003 adults, aged 18 and older, =
conducted May 10-13, 2007. For results based on this sample, one can =
say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of error attributable =
to sampling and other random effects is =B13 percentage points. In =
addition to sampling error, question wording and practical =
difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into =
the findings of public opinion polls.