Washington D.C., Mar 23, 2012 / 01:33 am
Catholic Americans increasingly say that the Obama administration is unfriendly to religion, a new survey says, though Americans as a whole appear to be growing more skeptical towards a role for religion in public life.
The Pew Research Center said that there has been a “noticeable shift” among white Catholics’ opinion of the Obama administration, which could be tied to “effects from the controversy over the administration’s policies on contraception coverage.”
In August 2009, 15 percent of Catholics and 17 percent of white Catholics said the Obama administration is unfriendly towards religion. In March 2012, 25 percent of Catholics and 31 percent of white Catholics said the same, the Pew Research Center’s March 21 report said.
However, 42 percent of Catholics believe the administration is friendly to religion, while 25 percent believe it is neutral.