Majority of evangelicals believe freedom of religion 'makes America great,' Barna poll reveals

A recent poll conducted by the Barna Group revealed that a majority of evangelicals believe that freedom of religion is what "makes America great."

The survey, which was based in part on President Donald Trump's slogan "make America great again," asked 1,015 American adults about what they love most about their country.

The poll results revealed that 24 percent of Americans appreciate the having the opportunity to "become who you want to be" or being able to live the "American dream." Twenty-one percent said they regard the Constitution, and another 21 percent said they appreciate free speech and free press. Twenty percent of the respondents say they value freedom of religion, while 20 percent said the same for democracy.

Freedom of religion is highly regarded among evangelicals at 53 percent, followed by America's Christian roots at 40 percent. However, only two percent of evangelicals expressed appreciation for the Bill of Rights, and just six percent said they value freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

Among practicing Christians, 34 percent said they value religious freedom, while 23 percent expressed appreciation for the nation's Christian heritage.

The division between conservatives and liberals is evident in their responses to the poll. Thirty percent of conservatives expressed appreciation for the Constitution, compared to 15 percent of liberals.

The survey also showed that more conservatives esteemed the Christian values of America at 21 percent, compared to three percent of liberals.

However, more liberals were inclined to value the freedom of speech and freedom of the press at 27 percent, compared to 15 percent of conservatives. More liberals also expressed appreciation for diversity at 22 percent, compared to four percent of conservatives.

The survey, which was published by Barna on Monday, was conducted between June 5–9 of 2017, with a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points, at the 95 percent confidence level.

Meanwhile, a separate study conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) in October found that Americans are growing in pessimism about the direction of the U.S.

The PRRI poll indicated that as much as 74 percent of Americans believe that the nation is heading down the wrong track.

It also revealed that as many as 92 percent of Republicans said that the country was down the wrong track, compared to 57 percent of Democrats and 79 percent of independents.

The polling institution noted that the figure was considerably higher in October last year compared to the time during the 2012 presidential race when 57 percent of the American public said the country was off on the wrong track.