Poll: Belief in God Remains Strong (DP: No link came with this in my email from Michael Reagan)

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5. Poll: Belief in God Remains Strong

 

A strong majority of American adults say they believe in God, although this belief has declined in recent years, a new Harris Poll reveals.

A majority of Americans also believe in miracles, angels, life after death, heaven and hell, and the divinity of Jesus.

In the survey of 2,250 adults by Harris Interactive, 74 percent said they believe in God, down from 82 percent in 2005.

Republicans are more likely to believe — 87 percent of those polled said they believe in God, compared to 72 percent of Democrats and 70 percent of independents.

Among age groups, 83 percent of those 68 or older believe, while just 64 percent of Americans 18 to 36 feel that way.

Among all respondents, 54 percent said they are "absolutely" certain there is a God, and 14 percent are "somewhat" certain. Only 16 percent are "absolutely" or "somewhat" certain there is no God.

In 2005, 79 percent of Americans believed in miracles; today the number has dipped to 72 percent.

Similarly, the percentage who believe in heaven has fallen from 75 percent to 68 percent.

Other findings of the Harris survey:

68 percent believe Jesus is God or the son of God, down from 72 percent in 2005. 68 percent believe in angels, down from 74 percent. 65 percent believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 64 percent believe in the survival of the soul after death, and 58 percent believe in hell and in the devil. A minority of Americans, 47 percent, believe in Darwin's theory of evolution. 42 percent believe in ghosts, 36 percent ascribe to creationism, 36 percent believe in UFOs, and 29 percent believe in astrology. 59 percent of respondents said they are "very religious" or "somewhat religious," down from 70 percent in 2007.