Before protests, black Americans said religious sermons should address race relations

Black Americans and white Americans have differing views on the role that political topics such as race relations and criminal justice reform should play in church sermons, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted earlier this year, before the killing of George Floyd and the ensuing protests.

Six-in-ten black adults (62%) say it is important for houses of worship to address “political topics such as immigration and race relations” – including 23% who say covering these topics is “essential.” By contrast, 36% of white Americans say it is important for sermons to deal with these topics, and only 8% say it is essential. Hispanics are more evenly divided on this issue; about half (53%) say it is important for sermons to cover political issues.

In addition, black Americans are more likely than white or Hispanic Americans to say they have heard political topics such as race relations and criminal justice reform addressed in sermons.  

Attitudes toward diversity in 11 emerging economies

A new analysis by Pew Research Center’s global attitudes team finds that across 11 emerging economies surveyed all around the world, there is a great deal of variation in terms of how often people interact with people of differing faiths. People who interact more with members of other religious groups also tend to have more favorable opinions toward other groups.

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