(ZENIT News / Washington, DC, 06.01.2024).- Americans socialize easily with people of another mentality, both civil as well as religious. A large majority have at least one friend of a different religion, according to a survey carried out in 2023.
In December 2022 a Pew Research Center survey found that four out of ten American adults or 37% of those surveyed, have friends of the same religion, whereas six out of ten or 61%, have friends with a religion different from their own. 43% say that only some of their friends have the same religion and 18% that almost none or any of their friends have different beliefs. This data does not take away from the fact that some social groups have greater religious diversity among friends.
Groups that reflect almost no or any friendship with someone who shares the same religion are men, the youngest and those that have less education. Thus, 20% of American adults with secondary education or less education say that few friends have their own religion, compared to 14% with a Bachelor’s degree with the same position.
The peaceful coexistence between people of different religions is reflected in the percentage of Americans of Asia origin. Individuals of this group that identify themselves as Christians or that are not affiliated to any religion have decreased, according to a Pew survey. Also shown is that 40% of Americans of Asian origin feel close to Asian religious traditions. It’s relevant that 11% Asian-American adults are of the Buddhist religion, although 21% feel close to Buddhism because of family history or their culture of origin. A third or 32% of Americans of Asian origin consider themselves of no religion, compared to 26% of respondents in 2012. Christianity is the largest group of Americans of Asian origin: 34%.
Among other minority groups, members of black historical Protestant Churches and Hispanic Catholics are more inclined — among all the groups of Christians analyzed — to say that all or the majority of their friends have the same religion they do. There are insufficient details about Muslims and Jews.
Four out of every ten American adults, or 44%, say that religion is important or very important in their life and all or the majority have friends with the same religion. A quarter of those that give religion less importance say the same.
Friendship with people of different religions is common among Americans, although the majority do not talk often about religion, according to a 2019 survey. Three out of ten American adults said they talked about religion with other people outside their family only once or twice a week. In the same survey, 62% said that, if someone isn’t in agreement with them about religion, they try to understand the other person’s belief and avoid arguments. Only 4% said it’s good to persuade another person to change his/her opinion.
