Evangelical Perspectives on Civility and Political Engagement

Most American evangelicals believe Jesus’ Golden Rule — “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” — applies to politics. A LifeWay Research study sponsored by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention (ERLC) conducted in November of 2018 explored the perspectives of American evangelicals on civility, politics, media consumption and how likely they are to engage with views different from their own.

The Influence of Faith and Civility

Around 8 in 10 (82 percent) say their faith influences how they engage others politically. Two in 3 Americans with evangelical beliefs (66 percent) believe being civil in political conversations is productive, with 22 percent dissenting and 12 percent not sure. “The results of this polling project were occasionally encouraging, frequently surprising and in some cases very much indicting,” said Russell Moore, president of the ERLC.

Many evangelicals by belief say they give others the benefit of the doubt but are frequently assumed to be attacking those with whom they disagree. While 58 percent say they tend to believe those who disagree with them have good motivations, 54 percent say when they disagree with someone politically, the other person tends to take it as a personal attack. Less than half (42 percent) say they have expressed public disapproval of political allies for using what respondents recognized as unacceptable words or actions.

Challenges to Civic Discourse

The tendency in some to embrace dishonesty and uncivil actions or at least leave them unchallenged may stem from evangelicals seeing their political opponents as dangerous. Almost 3 in 5 evangelicals by belief (58 percent) say that if those with whom they disagree politically are able to implement their agenda, “our democracy will be in danger.”

The following points outline specific attitudes toward political behavior:

  • A third (33 percent) admit that when someone with their political beliefs is accused of wrongdoing, they typically respond by citing examples of wrongdoing by the other side.
  • Around a quarter (26 percent) say they tend to believe insulting personal remarks made by political leaders who share their ideology toward opponents are justified.
  • Fewer (16 percent) say they are OK with political leaders bending the truth if it helps influence people to adopt what they consider good political views.

“Evangelicals, like many Americans, simplify politics to being more about sticking up for your party than finding the best solutions to our nation’s problems,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research.

Party Identification and Voting Patterns

Half of evangelicals by belief identify with the Republican party and a majority of those that voted in 2016 say they did so for Donald Trump. Overall, 48 percent identify as a Republican, 31 percent as a Democrat and 21 percent as an independent or something else beyond the two major political parties. In 2016, 78 percent of evangelicals by belief say they voted in the general election.

Demographic Breakdown of the 2016 Vote

Among those who cast a ballot, the split between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton varied significantly by demographic:

  • Race: White evangelicals by belief say they voted overwhelmingly for Trump (80 percent), while black evangelicals by belief were solidly behind Clinton (82 percent).
  • Ethnicity: Hispanic evangelical voters say they were more split — 47 percent Clinton, 48 percent Trump.
  • Gender: Evangelical men more heavily favored Trump over Clinton (69 percent to 24 percent), while women preferred Trump but by a smaller majority (57 percent to 37 percent).
  • Age: Three-fourths of evangelicals by belief who are at least 65 years old backed Trump over Clinton (74 percent to 22 percent), while 18- to 34-year-old evangelicals were essentially split (47 percent for Trump, 49 percent for Clinton).
  • Church Attendance: Voting Americans with evangelical beliefs who attend church at least once a week are more likely to say they cast their ballot for Trump (65 percent) than those who attend less frequently (55 percent).