(LifeSiteNews) — A new report shows that an overwhelming majority of Americans are in favor of religious freedom and parental rights, opposing required LGBT indoctrination in public schools.
According to the fifth annual Religious Freedom Index released by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty at the start of 2024, “respondents overwhelmingly (74%) tended to support parental rights.” The report is a summary of opinions from American citizens on First Amendment freedoms, including the freedom of speech and religion.
“In 2023, the Index score rose to 69 — its highest score ever — and showed that despite generational differences and ideological divides, America’s commitment to religious liberty remained strong,” the key findings summary states.
The report emphasizes that “across a wide variety of questions, Americans support the right to a religious education for families of faith” as well as evidence that “Americans are regaining their faith in religion” after a “poor year for the Index” in 2020.
According to the survey results, “59% of Americans believe religion is part of the solution to America’s problems,” a rise of nine points from the 2022 Index. Additionally, the results found that “Gen Z is significantly more accepting than other Americans of religious clothing and religious days off in the workplace.”
Considering the 30th anniversary of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) that occurred in November 2023, Becket asked participants their opinion on the standard required under the act. RFRA prohibits the federal government from inhibiting religious freedom without “a compelling reason” or failing to consider the “option least restrictive to religious freedom.”
Eighty-eight percent of respondents expressed support for RFRA’s protections of religious freedom, with 62% believing the protections are “just about right” and 26% in favor of strengthening the already existing protections. Only 12% reported the opinion that RFRA was “too protective of religious freedom.”
In addition to questions about religion, the Index survey inquired about Americans’ opinions related to parental rights and the ongoing onslaught of LGBT indoctrination in the public school system. The results report that “67% of respondents support opt-outs from school curriculum that parents think is morally objectionable or inappropriate.”
“In a dramatic reversal, a strong majority (58%) of Americans now disagree with school policies that require students and employees to use a person’s preferred pronouns,” the summary points out. “This is a 12-point swing since 2021, when only 46% of Americans disagreed with school pronoun policies.”
Of the 74 percent of Americans who support parents’ right to refuse questionable instruction for their children, 42 percent “strongly agree” with the idea and 32 percent “somewhat agree.” Sixteen percent expressed they “somewhat disagree” with parental rights in this matter and only 10 percent “strongly disagree.”
When presented the statement “schools should be allowed to encourage children to transition their genders,” 57 percent of respondents voted that they “strongly disagree” with that approach. Only a total of 24 percent expressed support for schools endorsing a child’s gender confusion.
Similarly, 60 percent reported opposition to schools being “allowed to hide information from parents about their child’s decision to adopt a new name, new pronouns or begin a gender transition.” This tactic was only supported by a total of 21 percent of survey participants.
According to Becket, the Religious Freedom Index is designed to provide “a unique look into American public opinion on First Amendment freedoms.” It “focus[es] on core religious liberty principles,” combining them with inquiries about “some of the year’s most pressing social issues.”
The Index surveys include “a nationally representative sample of 1,000 adults each October.” The 2023 Index marks the fifth since its launch in 2019.
RELATED
49 of 50 states saw increased gender dysphoria diagnoses between 2018 and 2022: report