The Los Angeles Times released an interesting poll today which says that 92% of Americans believe in some sort of higher power and that 58% pray daily. The poll confirms the stereotype that religious belief is more prevalent in the Midwest and South as well as highlighting how California differs from the rest of the nation. Californians are more likely to believe homosexuals are their equals and are less likely to be certain of their belief, less likely to take scripture literally, less likely to attend religious services, and less likely to feel threatened by Hollywood.
The article about the poll features a quote from John Green, a senior fellow of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life:
“The West Coast generally is less religiously observant, less certain about religious beliefs, the West Coast was settled last, it has been growing fairly rapidly and has a unique amount of dynamism in [its] societies.”
His quote seems fairly accurate given that California’s diversity makes it far harder to create stereotypes and generalities than it would be in the Midwest. This isn’t intended as a knock against the mid-west but rather a recognition of the fact that it’s far harder to generalize in a population made up of every race, creed, code, and gender than it is in a homogenous bubble.
