A recent survey reveals that nearly half of the American people believe that the churches in the country have become "too segregated" when it comes to race.
According to the study released by Lifeway Research on Tuesday, Americans appeared to be less optimistic about the race relations issue in the country, Christian Headlines reported. The online survey was conducted on Sep. 9-23 last year and involved 1,200 Americans.
The recent poll showed that 42% of the Americans believe that the nation's churches are "too segregated." 36% disagree with that, and 22% are not sure of the segregation issue. On the other hand, the survey participants presented a divided response over the question whether the nation has "come so far on racial relations," with 46% agreeing, another 46% disagreeing, and 8% unsure of the matter.
The survey also discovered divided opinions between white and black Americans over the questions. 66% of black Americans say the country has "come so far" while only 51% of white Americans say so. On the question whether the churches are "too segregated," only 38% of white Americans agree while 52% of black Americans agree.
The recent survey showed a 28% percent decline on the one conducted in 2014 wherein 74% of the citizens believed that the country has "come so far on racial relations."
Mr. Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research, reacted to the poll results saying, "With a change in methodology from telephone in 2014 to online, we cannot say definitively if this decreased optimism is an actual change in sentiment or increased forthrightness. Regardless, optimism on race relations is lower than we previously thought."
The research further says that 58% of the American people believe that race relations have gone "more strained" after Trump won the 2016 elections, 18% believe that that race relations remain the same, and 11% believe that race relations have improved.
On the issue of religious influence, 57% of Americans say that religious leaders play a significant role in improving race relations. 24%, on the other hand, disagree with that view.
Further, 69% of the respondents say that racial diversity is good for America while 23% disagree. The result is down from the 2014 survey wherein 82% of the citizens believed that diversity is beneficial for the country.
"This seems to be an area where pastors are influencing those who are in the pews. In the 2017 Lifeway Research study, 93 percent of Protestant pastors said every church should strive to achieve racial diversity. Those that attend more frequently are more likely to see diversity as a benefit to our country," McConnell further stated.
Lifeway Research helps Christian ministries support the churches by "conducting custom research projects that accurately describe needs, beliefs and ministry practices." The research center have already conducted studies for various ministries and over 20 denominations. It was launched in 2006 and claims to be the leading evangelical research firm that calculates the needs in both the church and culture, its website says.
