Most Americans approve of teachers leading Christian prayers in public school
Survey finds geographical divide; red states likelier to back government prayer
A slim majority of U.S. adults would support allowing public-school teachers to lead their students in Christian prayer — a practice that the U.S. Supreme Court found unconstitutional in Engel v. Vitale in 1962 — a new study has found.
The Pew Research Center reported on the study this week using numbers based on its 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study that included 37,000 adults, enough to provide state-by-state results. In general, the study found the strongest support in the red or Republican-leading states, namely in the South and Midwest, while the strongest opposition generally came from the blue or Democratic-leaning states, such as in the Northeast and on the Pacific Coast.
The study was conducted from July 17, 2023, to March 4, 2024. Christian prayers in the study were defined as those that refer to Jesus.
In total, support for school-organized Christian prayer in public schools totaled 52 percent, with about a fourth (27 percent) saying they would strongly support such a practice. The numbers were almost a mirror image but with slightly smaller numbers for the opposition: A total of 46 percent of adults said they would oppose such prayers, with 22 percent saying they strongly oppose it.
One striking detail of the study is that support or opposition in some states is overwhelming. In Mississippi, for example, about four fifths of adults say they would support teacher-led Christian prayers in public schools. And in the District of Colombia, opposition tops two-thirds with 69 percent. (The state with the strongest opposition was Vermont with 64 percent.)
Pew also asked survey participants about their views on more generic prayers in public schools, where the prayers would refer to God rather than specifically to Jesus. That survey found slightly higher support with 57 percent backing the practice.
Pew did not provide a breakdown of the results based on religious affiliation or on factors other than state residence.
The survey comes at a time when the role of religion in public schools is hotly debated. During the past year, three states — Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas — have passed laws requiring the posting of the Ten Commandments in public schools, another practice that has long been seen as unconstitutional. Awaiting court rulings, none of the three states has implemented the mandates.
Also, earlier this year the Supreme Court divided 4-4 on whether a public charter school could be run by a unit of the Catholic Church. The split vote had the effect of upholding an Oklahoma Supreme Court ruling preventing the school from opening.