From The Week 27 May 2023 edition, page 15
“One of the most significant shifts in American politics and religion just took place and it barely got any notice,” says Ryan Burge. The latest US Religion Census reveals that between 2010 and 2020, the share of Americans with a religious affiliation dropped 11 percentage points. This change “will ripple across the political landscape”, shifting voting patterns in states critical to presidential elections, because the “God Gap” is a real phenomenon.
Religiously observant people, especially white Christians, have for years been much more likely to vote Republican than those who have a secular worldview, who are far more likely to vote Democrat. Analysis of the latest data shows that religious affiliation is not just fading in New England and the Pacific Northwest, but “taking a beating across the middle part of the country” – in Rust Belt states such as Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
That gives Democrats a much better chance of winning those swing states. However, the results also show that religiosity is surging in Florida and Texas, owing to the influx of Hispanic immigrants, which is likely to lock them in as red states…”