Who wants to talk politics vs. religion, and whether they have more to share or learn.
Of the two subjects most likely to be banned from the dinner table, most Americans would rather talk about politics than God.
Yet Christians are split on whether they want more spiritual conversations or fewer ones, and whether they have more to share or learn during such chats.
LifeWay Research surveyed 1,004 Americans in order to compare how often Americans talk to others about politics to the number of times they talk about spirituality.
Two-thirds of Americans (64%) say they had at least three conversations about politics in the last month. Eight percent had no conversations about politics.
By contrast, fewer than half (44%) had three or more spiritual conversations in the same time frame. Twenty-two percent had no conversations about spirituality.
Overall, 6 in 10 Americans (59%) say they’re more comfortable discussing their political views than their spiritual beliefs. But there are distinctions among certain groups.
Women (51%), those who go to church at least once a week (57%), and those with evangelical beliefs (63%) prefer to talk about their spiritual views. Men (69%) and those who don’t have evangelical beliefs (65%) prefer to talk about politics.
Most Americans also say they’re satisfied with the number of spiritual conversations they’re having.
About half say they have “just the right amount” of discussions on spiritual beliefs (51%). A quarter want fewer spiritual discussions (23%), while 1 in 5 want more. Six percent aren’t sure.
Hispanics (38%), those 18 to 35 (35%), and those who live in the West (30%) are more likely to say they have spiritual conversations “more often than I would like.”
Those with evangelical beliefs (32%), those 55 and over …
