General Discussion

There are about 78 million evangelicals in America, according to Pew Research Center’s massive new survey of the religious landscape released on Wednesday. Most are white, Republican, and say religion is very important to them.

But not all.

The study—considered the most comprehensive look at religion in the United States, with more than 36,000 people filling out a 116-question survey in all 50 states—shows significant evangelical variety. Evangelicals are diverse: racially, politically, economically, and even in terms of religious practice.

Twenty-eight percent aren’t white, the Pew study shows. Twenty-four percent are Democrats or lean Democratic. On some issues, including government assistance for people in need and environmental regulation, an even larger percentage of evangelicals support the more liberal position.