Overview
- Pew published the survey on May 27 after polling 1,391 U.S. adults who attend religious services at least once or twice a month in a questionnaire conducted April 6–12.
- Two-thirds of regular attenders said their clergy had spoken about at least one political or social issue in recent months.
- Abortion, Israel and homosexuality were the topics most frequently raised, with roughly one-third of respondents reporting sermons on those issues.
- When clergy addressed those topics, attenders more often reported messages opposing abortion and opposing acceptance of homosexuality and reporting support for Israel.
- Which issues appear in services varies by faith: Catholics and white evangelical Protestants were most likely to hear about abortion, white evangelicals most often heard about homosexuality, and Black Protestants reported the most discussion of Israel and immigration; many respondents also said they were unsure of their clergy’s partisan leanings, a factor that could shape how pulpit talk influences local politics and civic views.