Opinion Survey Research Program

Survey of American Jewish Opinion

The National Survey on Religion
and American Life

Frequencies for the Jewish Public Sample (N=1,000)

Dear Panel Member,

Your household has been selected for a national survey on "Religion and American Life." I think you will find these questions to be stimulating. As in all Consumer Mail Panel surveys, your answers and identity will be private. The survey results will be released only in the form of a statistical summary. In appreciation of your help, I will be sending you a small gift about 6-8 weeks after I receive your completed questionnaire. Thanks in advance for your participation!

1. Below are a variety of proposals concerning religion and public schools. For each one, please indicate whether you would generally favor or oppose it.


Do you favor or oppose...	Favor	Oppose	Not Sure

Allowing public schools to display the Ten Commandments	38	53	10
Allowing public school students to say non-sectarian prayers at sporting events	28	60	12
Allowing non-denominational prayers to be read in the classroom	20	70	10
Allowing public schools to set aside a moment of silence each day for students to pray if they want to	48	40	12
Allowing public schools to teach Christmas carols, as long as they also teach Hanukkah songs	57	34	9
Teaching creationism in public schools along with evolution when teaching about the origin of man	39	44	17
Making public school classrooms available to student religious groups to hold voluntary meetings, when classes are not in session	53	33	14
Allowing public schools to share their computers with local religious schools	39	44	17
Allowing public schools to provide students with information on birth control methods	87	6	6
Allowing lesbians and homosexuals who have publicly declared their sexual orientation to teach in public schools	75	12	13
Providing government aid (vouchers) to families for tuition in private, non-religious schools	24	61	15
Providing government aid (vouchers) to families for tuition in private schools, including religious schools	22	67	11
Banning the public sale and display of pornography	56	33	12
Regulating where and how pornography may be exhibited	80	11	9
Making abortions more difficult to obtain than they are now	10	81	9
A law which would require a person to obtain a police permit before he or she could buy a gun	89	8	4
Outlawing the sale to individuals of all automatic weapons and assault rifles	85	10	5
Denying welfare benefits to unwed teenagers who have children	28	50	22
The death penalty for persons convicted of murder	67	17	17
Allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally	52	28	21

2. Below are listed several groups in American life. For each, please indicate which category best describes your overall opinion. Would you say your opinion is very favorable, mostly favorable, mostly unfavorable, or very unfavorable, or are you not familiar with the particular group?


	Very Favorable	Mostly Favorable	Mostly Unfavorable	Very Unfavorable	Not Familiar

ACLU	13	48	14	5	20
Christian Coalition	1	9	22	41	27
National Organization for Women	21	56	10	3	10
National Rifle Association	6	14	25	51	5
NAACP	14	61	13	4	8
Americans United for Separation of Church and State	15	22	7	4	53
United Jewish Appeal	41	50	3	1	5
United Jewish Communities	26	33	3	1	37
Right to life movement ("anti-abortion")	4	9	21	63	4
Pro-choice movement	50	36	6	5	3

3. Which one of the following statements comes closest to your view regarding democracy in the United States?


Democracy in the US works better if Americans are religious	11
Democracy in the US works worse if Americans are religious	3
Religion doesn't make any difference to the working of American democracy	74
Not sure	13

4. To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?


	Strongly Agree	Somewhat Agree	Not Sure	Somewhat Disagree	Strongly Disagree

It's OK for a city government to put up a manger scene on government property at Christmas	14	29	6	17	35
It's OK for a city government to put up candles on government property for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah	15	31	6	16	32
We need more laws governing our moral behavior	12	16	12	23	37
I am pleased when political leaders publicly affirm their belief in God	9	22	20	25	25
It's good for Congress to start sessions with a public prayer	8	20	21	24	27
Belonging to a church or synagogue makes one a more aware and engaged citizen	12	36	14	23	16
Religion should play an important role in shaping American values	13	37	12	22	15
It is wrong for adults of the same sex to have sexual relations	13	11	15	26	36
School boards ought to have the right to fire teachers who are known homosexuals	4	2	8	20	66
It is wrong for a married person to have sexual relations with someone other than his or her spouse	64	20	4	8	5
Abortion should be generally available to those who want it	65	23	3	5	4
Antisemitism is currently not a serious problem for American Jews	2	6	5	31	56
Virtually all positions of influence in America are open to Jews	7	25	10	39	20
A more religious America means a more antisemitic America	7	24	27	27	16
Jews would be better off in a more religious America	3	9	35	31	24
There needs to be stricter laws and regulations to protect the environment	48	36	8	7	2
We should make every possible effort to improve the position of blacks and other minorities, even if it means giving them preferential treatment	4	19	12	37	28
I would personally like to see organized religion stay out of politics	66	23	6	3	3
It's OK for the Right to Life movement to use religion in the debate on abortion	5	10	15	18	51

5. Do you think television and the newspapers and magazines and radio are fair in their treatment of very religious people, or do you think they make them look better than they are, or make them look worse than they are?


Fair in their treatment of very religious people	46
Make them look better than they are	23
Make them look worse than they are	31

6. Do you think it is ever right for clergymen to discuss political candidates or issues from the pulpit?


Yes	35
No	49
Not sure	16

7. In your opinion, should churches and synagogues keep out of political matters -- or should they express their views on day-to-day social and political questions?


Churches and synagogues should keep out of political matters	44
They should express their views on day-to-day social and political questions	42
Not sure	14

8. In your opinion, is the influence of religion in American life ...


Increasing	31
Declining	30
Staying about the same	28
Not sure	11

9. Would you like to see the influence of religion in American life ...


Increasing	30
Decreasing	24
Staying about the same	28
Not sure	17

10. In your opinion, what proportion of each of the following groups in the U.S. is antisemitic?


	Most	Many	Some	Few	Not sure

Big business	3	19	42	19	17
Union leaders	4	16	39	18	23
Hispanics	5	16	39	18	22
Blacks	9	27	40	11	13
Democrats	1	4	34	38	22
Republicans	3	22	42	13	20
Liberals	1	6	30	41	22
Conservatives	7	25	38	11	20
Catholics	5	25	41	15	14
Mainstream Protestants	5	18	43	16	18
Fundamentalist Protestants	17	30	28	7	18
Southern Baptists	27	32	19	6	16

11. Which of these best describes your usual stand on political issues?


Very liberal	6	Conservative	19
Liberal	26	Very conservative	2
Moderate	43	Not sure	5

12. Do you usually think of yourself as:


Republican	14
Independent	27
Democrat	59

13. When you were growing up, which of these best described your father's usual stand on political issues?


Very liberal	4	Conservative	22
Liberal	20	Very conservative	6
Moderate	29	Not sure	19

14. When you were growing up, which of these best described your mother's usual stand on political issues?


Very liberal	5	Conservative	16
Liberal	21	Very conservative	4
Moderate	31	Not sure	24

15. How important would you say religion is in your own life?


Very important	20	Not very important	31
Fairly important	43	Not sure	2

16. Referring to Jewish religious denominations, would you call yourself ... (Select one answer only)


Orthodox	3	Reconstructionist	2
Conservative	34	Just Jewish	25
Reform	35	Not Jewish	-

17. How important would you say being Jewish is in your own life?


Very important	38	Not very important	18
Fairly important	43	Not sure	1

18. About how often do you attend any type of synagogue, temple, or organized Jewish religious service?


Not at all or only on special occasions (a Bar Mitzvah, a wedding)	37
Only on High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur)	12
A few times a year	27
About once a month	10
Several times a month or more	14

19. Among those whom you consider your closest friends, would you say that �


None are Jewish	8
Some are Jewish, but most are not	34
Few are Jewish	12
Most are Jewish	39
All or almost all are Jewish	7

20. For each of the following people, please indicate whether he/she was raised Jewish. Also please indicate if he/she is Jewish now? (Mark the "NA" box if that question is "not applicable" to you.)


	Raised Jewish?			Jewish Now?
	Yes	No	NA	Yes	No	NA

You	93	7		98	2
Your spouse	57	23	20	58	21	20
The spouse of your youngest married child	21	24	55	22	24	55

21. As a child or teenager, did you ...


	Yes	No

Attend a full-time Jewish school (day school or yeshiva) for 3 years or more?	7	93
Attend a part-time Jewish school that met 2 or more times a week?	44	57
Attend a Sunday school or other one-day-a-week Jewish school?	54	46
Participate in a Jewish youth group as a teenager?	49	51
Visit Israel by the age of 26?	13	87
Take any courses in Jewish Studies while at college?	15	85

22.-34.


	Yes	No

During the Christmas season, does your household ever have a Christmas tree?	24	76
During Passover, do you usually attend a Seder?	85	15
Do you fast on Yom Kippur?	61	39
Have you ever been to Israel?	35	66
Does your household usually light candles on Friday night?	24	76
Are you a member of a synagogue or temple?	44	56
Are you a member of a Jewish Community Center (JCC) or YMHA?	12	88
Have you or anyone in your household participated in any program or activity at a JCC or a YMHA within the past year?	29	71
Do you belong to any Jewish organizations other than a synagogue, JCC, or YMHA?	27	73
In the past 2 years have you served on a board or committee of a Jewish organization or synagogue?	17	83
Did you contribute to the UJA/Federation in the past year?	46	51
Do you subscribe to or regularly receive a Jewish newspaper or magazine?	49	51
Have you ever sent a child to a Jewish day school or yeshiva?	22	78

35. Are you:


Male	46	Female	54

The National Survey on Religion and American Life

Frequencies for the Non-Jewish Public (N=684)

Dear Panel Member,

Your household has been selected for a national survey on "Religion and American Life." As in all Consumer Mail Panel surveys, your answers and identity will be private. The survey results will be released only in the form of a statistical summary. Thanks in advance for your participation!

1. Below are a variety of proposals concerning religion and public schools. For each one, please indicate whether you would generally favor or oppose it.


Do you favor or oppose�	Favor	Oppose	Not Sure

Allowing public schools to display the Ten Commandments	65	24	12
Allowing public school students to say non-sectarian prayers at sporting events	69	20	11
Allowing non-denominational prayers to be read in the classroom	59	27	14
Allowing public schools to set aside a moment of silence each day for students to pray if they want to	84	9	7
Allowing public schools to teach Christmas carols, as long as they also teach Hanukkah songs	77	11	12
Teaching creationism in public schools along with evolution when teaching about the origin of man	63	22	14
Making public school classrooms available to student religious groups to hold voluntary meetings, when classes are not in session	77	14	9
Allowing public schools to share their computers with local religious schools	59	24	17
Allowing public schools to provide students with information on birth control methods	74	13	12
Allowing lesbians and homosexuals who have publicly declared their sexual orientation to teach in public schools	48	32	20
Providing government aid (vouchers) to families for tuition in private, non-religious schools	40	41	18
Providing government aid (vouchers) to families for tuition in private schools, including religious schools	43	42	15
Banning the public sale and display of pornography	69	23	8
Regulating where and how pornography may be exhibited	84	10	7
Making abortions more difficult to obtain than they are now	41	46	13
A law which would require a person to obtain a police permit before he or she could buy a gun	75	17	8
Outlawing the sale to individuals of all automatic weapons and assault rifles	76	15	9
Denying welfare benefits to unwed teenagers who have children	27	46	27
The death penalty for persons convicted of murder	67	15	18
Allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally	32	50	17


	Very Favorable	Mostly Favorable	Mostly Unfavorable	Very Unfavorable	Not Familiar

ACLU	7	28	20	14	32
Christian Coalition	8	27	21	17	28
National Organization for Women	13	46	16	10	16
National Rifle Association	12	30	26	26	6
NAACP	11	47	18	9	15
Americans United for Separation of Church and State	7	12	15	20	46
Right to life movement ("anti-abortion")	20	22	22	32	5
Pro-choice movement	26	34	15	17	7

3. Which one of the following statements comes closest to your view regarding democracy in the United States?


Democracy in the US works better if Americans are religious	42
Democracy in the US works worse if Americans are religious	2
Religion doesn't make any difference to the working of American democracy	47
Not sure	10

4. To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?


	Strongly Agree	Somewhat Agree	Not Sure	Somewhat Disagree	Strongly Disagree

It's OK for a city government to put up a manger scene on government property at Christmas	59	22	6	7	7
It's OK for a city government to put up candles on government property for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah	56	23	7	7	7
We need more laws governing our moral behavior	21	24	13	19	24
I am pleased when political leaders publicly affirm their belief in God	43	27	13	11	7
It's good for Congress to start sessions with a public prayer	48	24	13	9	7
Belonging to a church or synagogue makes one a more aware and engaged citizen	28	28	15	16	13
Religion should play an important role in shaping American values	46	31	8	9	7
It is wrong for adults of the same sex to have sexual relations	38	11	12	19	21
School boards ought to have the right to fire teachers who are known homosexuals	14	10	15	19	43
It is wrong for a married person to have sexual relations with someone other than his or her spouse	77	13	3	5	2
Abortion should be generally available to those who want it	30	28	6	10	26
There needs to be stricter laws and regulations to protect the environment	45	35	8	9	3
We should make every possible effort to improve the position of blacks and other minorities, even if it means giving them preferential treatment	6	14	12	38	31
I would personally like to see organized religion stay out of politics	30	26	16	17	11
It's OK for the Right to Life movement to use religion in the debate on abortion	19	24	22	14	22


Fair in their treatment of very religious people	48
Make them look better than they are	20
Make them look worse than they are	32

6. Do you think it is ever right for clergymen to discuss political candidates or issues from the pulpit?


Yes	30
No	49
Not sure	21

7. In your opinion, should churches and synagogues keep out of political matters -- or should they express their views on day-to-day social and political questions?


Churches and synagogues should keep out of political matters	36
They should express their views on day-to-day social and political questions	47
Not sure	17

8. In your opinion, is the influence of religion in American life ...


Increasing	20
Declining	43
Staying about the same	27
Not sure	10

9. Would you like to see the influence of religion in American life ...


Increasing	65
Decreasing	9
Staying about the same	16
Not sure	10

10. Which of these best describes your usual stand on political issues?


Very liberal	3	Conservative	27
Liberal	16	Very conservative	6
Moderate	39	Not sure	9

11. You usually think of yourself as:


Republican	34
Independent	36
Democrat	31

12. When you were growing up, which of these best described your father's usual stand on political issues?


Very liberal	2	Conservative	34
Liberal	8	Very conservative	10
Moderate	24	Not sure	22

13. When you were growing up, which of these best described your mother's usual stand on political issues?


Very liberal	3	Conservative	31
Liberal	12	Very conservative	7
Moderate	26	Not sure	22

14. How important would you say religion is in your own life?


Very important	49	Not very important	19
Fairly important	32	Not sure	1

15. About how often do you attend any type of religious service?


Not at all or only on special occasions	29
Once or twice a year	6
A few times a year	12
About once a month	8
Several times a month or more	46

16. Are you:


Male	34	Female	66

The National Survey on Religion and American Life

Frequencies for the JCPA Jewish Leaders Sample (N=111)

1. Below are a variety of proposals concerning religion and public schools. For each one, please indicate whether you would generally favor or oppose it.


Do you favor or oppose�	Favor	Oppose	Not Sure

Allowing public schools to display the Ten Commandments	5	89	6
Allowing public school students to say non-sectarian prayers at sporting events	5	92	4
Allowing non-denominational prayers to be read in the classroom	2	96	3
Allowing public schools to set aside a moment of silence each day for students to pray if they want to	19	71	10
Allowing public schools to teach Christmas carols, as long as they also teach Hanukkah songs	13	79	8
Teaching creationism in public schools along with evolution when teaching about the origin of man	7	90	3
Making public school classrooms available to student religious groups to hold voluntary meetings, when classes are not in session	42	38	20
Allowing public schools to share their computers with local religious schools	33	47	20
Allowing public schools to provide students with information on birth control methods	93	5	3
Allowing lesbians and homosexuals who have publicly declared their sexual orientation to teach in public schools	91	2	5
Providing government aid (vouchers) to families for tuition in private, non-religious schools	14	84	2
Providing government aid (vouchers) to families for tuition in private schools, including religious schools	11	88	1
Banning the public sale and display of pornography	21	68	12
Regulating where and how pornography may be exhibited	69	18	13
Making abortions more difficult to obtain than they are now	5	94	2
A law which would require a person to obtain a police permit before he or she could buy a gun	95	3	3
Outlawing the sale to individuals of all automatic weapons and assault rifles	94	4	3
Denying welfare benefits to unwed teenagers who have children	7	87	6
The death penalty for persons convicted of murder	26	66	9
Allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally	56	22	22


	Very Favorable	Mostly Favorable	Mostly Unfavorable	Very Unfavorable	Not Familiar

ACLU	36	56	5	3	1
Christian Coalition	-	2	18	79	2
National Organization for Women	29	57	7	4	4
National Rifle Association	-	1	17	81	1
NAACP	43	51	5	2	-
Americans United for Separation of Church and State	42	32	5	2	20
United Jewish Appeal	42	55	2	1	1
United Jewish Communities	32	56	6	1	6
Right to life movement ("anti-abortion")	-	1	18	80	1
Pro-choice movement	60	36	3	2	-

3. Which one of the following statements comes closest to your view regarding democracy in the United States?


Democracy in the US works better if Americans are religious	19
Democracy in the US works worse if Americans are religious	3
Religion doesn't make any difference to the working of American democracy	61
Not sure	18

4. To what extent do you agree or disagree with each of the following statements?


	Strongly Agree	Somewhat Agree	Not Sure	Somewhat Disagree	Strongly Disagree

It's OK for a city government to put up a manger scene on government property at Christmas	2	3	-	11	84
It's OK for a city government to put up candles on government property for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah	2	5	-	14	80
We need more laws governing our moral behavior	1	2	6	20	72
I am pleased when political leaders publicly affirm their belief in God	3	19	7	28	43
It's good for Congress to start sessions with a public prayer	3	12	14	27	45
Belonging to a church or synagogue makes one a more aware and engaged citizen	15	41	20	16	9
Religion should play an important role in shaping American values	14	40	13	19	15
It is wrong for adults of the same sex to have sexual relations	5	3	9	15	69
School boards ought to have the right to fire teachers who are known homosexuals	2	2	3	12	82
It is wrong for a married person to have sexual relations with someone other than his or her spouse	57	27	4	7	7
Abortion should be generally available to those who want it	76	20	1	4	-
Antisemitism is currently not a serious problem for American Jews	15	30	6	30	20
Virtually all positions of influence in America are open to Jews	22	48	6	19	5
A more religious America means a more antisemitic America	2	21	22	31	25
Jews would be better off in a more religious America	5	15	34	30	17
There needs to be stricter laws and regulations to protect the environment	56	29	9	6	1
We should make every possible effort to improve the position of blacks and other minorities, even if it means giving them preferential treatment	34	36	6	15	10
I would personally like to see organized religion stay out of politics	64	19	3	11	4
It's OK for the Right to Life movement to use religion in the debate on abortion	22	28	9	7	34


Fair in their treatment of very religious people	37
Make them look better than they are	18
Make them look worse than they are	46

6. Do you think it is ever right for clergymen to discuss political candidates or issues from the pulpit?


Yes	73
No	19
Not sure	7

7. In your opinion, should churches and synagogues keep out of political matters -- or should they express their views on day-to-day social and political questions?


Churches and synagogues should keep out of political matters	14
They should express their views on day-to-day social and political questions	80
Not sure	6

8. In your opinion, is the influence of religion in American life ...


Increasing	61
Declining	10
Staying about the same	17
Not sure	12

9. Would you like to see the influence of religion in American life ...


Increasing	20
Decreasing	26
Staying about the same	35
Not sure	20

10. In your opinion, what proportion of each of the following groups in the U.S. is antisemitic?


	Most	Many	Some	Few	Not sure

Big business	1	5	60	25	9
Union leaders	-	2	42	35	21
Hispanics	-	6	51	24	20
Blacks	-	2	29	58	11
Democrats	2	11	60	16	11
Republicans	2	10	11	60	16
Liberals	-	3	13	75	9
Conservatives	2	23	54	14	7
Catholics	-	4	63	23	11
Mainstream Protestants	-	4	51	34	11
Fundamentalist Protestants	8	34	41	9	9
Southern Baptists	14	38	32	5	11

11. Which of these best describes your usual stand on political issues?


Very liberal	19	Conservative	2
Liberal	55	Very conservative	-
Moderate	24	Not sure	-

12. Do you usually think of yourself as:


Republican	5
Independent	14
Democrat	81

13. When you were growing up, which of these best described your father's usual stand on political issues?


Very liberal	9	Conservative	14
Liberal	36	Very conservative	-
Moderate	34	Not sure	7

14. When you were growing up, which of these best described your mother's usual stand on political issues?


Very liberal	12	Conservative	8
Liberal	43	Very conservative	1
Moderate	26	Not sure	10

15. How important would you say religion is in your own life?


Very important	50	Not very important	13
Fairly important	36	Not sure	2

16. Referring to Jewish religious denominations, would you call yourself ... (Select one answer only)


Orthodox	7	Reconstructionist	6
Conservative	45	Just Jewish	7
Reform	35	Not Jewish	-

17. How important would you say being Jewish is in your own life?


Very important	89	Not very important	-
Fairly important	10	Not sure	1

18. About how often do you attend any type of synagogue, temple, or organized Jewish religious service?


Not at all or only on special occasions (a Bar Mitzvah, a wedding)	4
Only on High Holidays (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur)	4
A few times a year	32
About once a month	23
Several times a month or more	38

19. Among those whom you consider your closest friends, would you say that �


None are Jewish	-
Some are Jewish, but most are not	7
Few are Jewish	2
Most are Jewish	59
All or almost all are Jewish	32

20. For each of the following people, please indicate whether he/she was raised Jewish. Also please indicate if he/she is Jewish now? (Mark the "NA" box if that question is "not applicable" to you.)


	Raised Jewish?			Jewish Now?
	Yes	No	NA	Yes	No	NA

You	96	4		100
Your spouse	81	9	9	88	4	8
The spouse of your youngest married child	29	19	52	37	11	52

21. As a child or teenager, did you ...


	Yes	No

Attend a full-time Jewish school (day school or yeshiva) for 3 years or more?	13	88
Attend a part-time Jewish school that met 2 or more times a week?	51	50
Attend a Sunday school or other one-day-a-week Jewish school?	59	41
Participate in a Jewish youth group as a teenager?	66	34
Visit Israel by the age of 26?	47	53
Take any courses in Jewish Studies while at college?	46	54

22.-34.


	Yes	No

During the Christmas season, does your household ever have a Christmas tree?	4	96
During Passover, do you usually attend a Seder?	98	2
Do you fast on Yom Kippur?	88	12
Have you ever been to Israel?	93	7
Does your household usually light candles on Friday night?	68	32
Are you a member of a synagogue or temple?	89	11
Are you a member of a Jewish Community Center (JCC) or YMHA?	44	56
Have you or anyone in your household participated in any program or activity at a JCC or a YMHA within the past year?	74	26
Do you belong to any Jewish organizations other than a synagogue, JCC, or YMHA?	93	7
Have you ever sent a child to a Jewish day school or yeshiva?	21	79

35. Are you:


Male	44	Female	56

Survey Report	Reviewer's Comments	Back to Home Page
Follow-Up Study (Sept. '00)

The National Survey on Religion and American Life

Frequencies for the Jewish Public Sample (N=1,000)

The National Survey on Religion and American Life

Frequencies for the Non-Jewish Public (N=684)

The National Survey on Religion and American Life

Frequencies for the JCPA Jewish Leaders Sample (N=111)

Survey Report

Reviewer's Comments

Back to Home Page

Follow-Up Study (Sept. '00)

The National Survey on Religion
and American Life