Poll: 83% say God answers prayers, 57% favor National Prayer Day - USATODAY.com By Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY
Americans are overwhelmingly sure there's a God who answers prayers.
But that doesn't mean they all favor an official annual National Day of Prayer ? or that its goal should be promoting Christianity.
President Obama signed the annual proclamation last weekend, inviting Americans of all religious stripes to pray on Thursday, the 2010 National Day of Prayer.
This fits with most Americans' views: 92% say there is a God and 83% say this God answers prayers, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of 1,000 adults May 1-2. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The survey also asked two groups of 500 people each a question about the National Day of Prayer. These questions have a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
One group was asked if they favored or opposed the National Day of Prayer or if it "doesn't matter."
About 57% of adults favor it, and 38% shrugged it off. Only 4.5% opposed it.
For most 18- to 29-year-olds, it could be the National Day of Whatever ? 59% said it doesn't matter.
Those who most strongly favor it were Republicans (76%); women 50 and older (71%); and Midwesterners (71%) or Southerners (63%).
Americans are overwhelmingly sure there's a God who answers prayers.
But that doesn't mean they all favor an official annual National Day of Prayer ? or that its goal should be promoting Christianity.
President Obama signed the annual proclamation last weekend, inviting Americans of all religious stripes to pray on Thursday, the 2010 National Day of Prayer.
This fits with most Americans' views: 92% say there is a God and 83% say this God answers prayers, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll of 1,000 adults May 1-2. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The survey also asked two groups of 500 people each a question about the National Day of Prayer. These questions have a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.
One group was asked if they favored or opposed the National Day of Prayer or if it "doesn't matter."
About 57% of adults favor it, and 38% shrugged it off. Only 4.5% opposed it.
For most 18- to 29-year-olds, it could be the National Day of Whatever ? 59% said it doesn't matter.
Those who most strongly favor it were Republicans (76%); women 50 and older (71%); and Midwesterners (71%) or Southerners (63%).