Fewer than 40% of Americans consider God to be important than money, poll finds

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – A new survey gauging American values shows that the number of US citizens who consider religion to be very important has dropped to fewer than 40% in the last 25 years; the number of those who consider money to be “very important” has increased substantially, and is larger than the percentage of those who place a high value on faith, Axios reports. The survey was carried out by The Wall Street Journal together with the NORC at the University of Chicago, who polled 1,500 US adults this month.

In what Axio journalist Mike Allen described as a “tectonic shift” in American values, the WSJ/NORC survey found that, since 1998, the number of Americans who consider religion to be “very important” has dropped from 62% to 39%. Of these, just 31% of adults under the age of 30 said religion is very important, while 55% of people over 65 said it was. Moreover, the number of those who said “tolerance of others” is very important has dropped from 80% just four years ago to 58% today.

Those who said community involvement is important also dropped sharply from 47% in 1998 to 27% today. Patriotism is now considered very important by only 38% of citizens compared to 70% in 1998. Raising a family has also dropped in importance from 59% considering this very important to just 30% today.

Only money is considered more important now than it was 25 years ago: in 1998, 31% of US adults said it was very important, while 43% consider it so today.

Analyzing the results, WSJ pollster Bill McInturff suggested: “Perhaps the toll of our political division, COVID, and the lowest economic confidence in decades is having a startling effect on our core values.”

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