As the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) formally declared that churches and other houses of worship may endorse political candidates to their congregations without violating the Johnson Amendment, a 1954 law prohibiting tax-exempt organizations from engaging in political campaigning, the separation between church and state is becoming less clear. This Spotlight Analysis examines Americans’ views on allowing places of worship to endorse political candidates. PRRI findings shows that Republicans, white evangelical Protestants, and Christian nationalism Adherents and Sympathizers are the most likely to favor endorsing political candidates in places of worship.
PRRI asked Americans in both 2017 and 2023 whether churches and places of worship should be allowed to endorse political candidates while retaining their tax-exempt status. Public opinion has remained largely unchanged over time. In 2023, three in four Americans (75%) opposed this idea, while only 20% favored it. These views closely mirror those from 2017, when 71% were in opposition and 22% were in favor.
Even across party lines, views have remained relatively stable. Republicans (31%) are significantly more likely than independents (19%) and Democrats (13%) to support allowing churches to endorse political candidates while maintaining their tax-exempt status. These percentages closely align with 2017 levels, when support stood at 34% among Republicans, 20% among independents, and 16% among Democrats. Moreover, in 2023, PRRI included questions regarding Christian nationalism views. Christian nationalism Adherents (45%) are significantly more likely than Sympathizers (35%), Skeptics (18%), and Rejecters (5%) to favor allowing churches to endorse political candidates while retaining their tax-exempt status.
A few notable changes over time are evident among religious groups. In 2023, white evangelical Protestants (36%), Black Protestants (32%), and Latter-day Saints (31%) were the most likely to support allowing churches to endorse political candidates while retaining their tax-exempt status; Hispanic Protestants followed at 23%; non-Christians at 21%, including Jewish Americans at 18% and members of other non-Christian faiths at 22%; white mainline Protestants and white Catholics at 19% each; and Hispanic Catholics at 16%. Religiously unaffiliated Americans were the least likely to favor this idea (8%) and have become less likely to do so since 2017 (12%). While support among most religious groups has remained relatively stable since 2017, support among Black Protestants increased notably by 13 percentage points (from 19% to 32%), while support among Hispanic Catholics declined from 30% to 16%.
Despite the IRS’ recent move to formalize a church exemption to the Johnson Amendment, most Americans continue to oppose allowing churches and places of worship to endorse political candidates while maintaining their tax-exempt status. Public opinion has remained stable over time across party and religious groups, with notable changes only among Black Protestants, Hispanic Catholics, and the religiously unaffiliated. These results suggest a general national consensus favoring the separation of religion and the state.