National study finds Latter-day Saints are 'most resilient to political division and polarization'

A new national study has found that Latter-day Saints "stand out as the faith community most resilient to political division and polarization both at the local and national levels."

The study was conducted by the same group, More in Common , behind the ground-breaking " Hidden Tribes " report that identified a majority of Americans as the "exhausted majority" who are "weary of a hostile, antagonistic political climate."

This same international nonprofit has released a 139-page study surveying 6,000 believers across America, intentionally "over-sampling" Latter-day Saints so that they could reach meaningful conclusions about the faith among others. In general, the report concluded that Americans are misrepresenting all faiths in at least three fundamental ways: seeing them as politically-driven, intolerant and fraying — each of which was contradicted by their new data.

'Most reject partisanship in the pulpit' The study found many people of faith eschewing the idea that politics ought to be involved in faith. Specifically, they found that only one in 10 Latter-day Saints support the idea of faith leaders engaging in political discussions (11%) or candidate endorsements (9%).

This contrasted significantly with other religious groups, where between a quarter and a third of people answered affirmatively when asked these same questions:

The authors concluded that compared to other religious groups, "Latter-day Saints are least in favor of politics in the pulpit" — meaning they are least likely to support political conversations in religious settings. As evident below, only around 1 in 5 (22%) believe that discussing political issues should be an important part of "congregational life."

"Political discussions are heavily discouraged in Latter-day Saint wards," the study continues, by way of explanation. "A lot of that has to do with the church's stance on political neutrality," the lead researcher Coco Xu told Deseret News. "We heard that from the focus groups we've done with Latter Day Saints."

When people of faith are asked whether their religious leaders should discuss political issues during worship or endorse candidates, again we see how resistant most Latter-day Saints are to an intrusion of politics in formal church proceedings:

Across all faith groups, it's important to point out that only a subset of believers see supporting either political party as a criterion for being a good or faithful member of their religion:

All the foregoing stands in sharp contrast to how different faiths are perceived in a secularizing American public. The next graphic demonstrates the reality of how the perception of outside observers contrasts with how virtually all believers see themselves.

Divisions among members? Resistance to political intrusion at worship is only one facet of what this study calls "political resilience." Another is the degree of division versus unity that members feel together. "Few" Latter-day Saints they analyzed, the authors stated, "report feeling politically divided."

Only a fraction of Latter-day Saints (9-10%) in the study report their local stake and ward feeling divided — with 16% feeling division among Latter-day Saints in America as a whole.

American tensions that still linger "The fact that Latter-day Saint communities experience low levels of division does not mean they are immune to the effects of societal fractures," the authors note, with one-third of Latter-day Saints who attend services regularly saying that same-sex marriage (34%) and transgender issues (33%) can be divisive in their wards — and another 29% saying that former President Donald Trump has become a divisive issue within Latter-day Saint places of worship.

But what the researchers found "unique" about Latter-day Saints among other people of faith, the lead researcher Coco Xu told Deseret News, is that compared with communities where they observed more of an "us versus them" dynamic, the polarization among Latter-day Saints seemed to be felt "more on a personal level." This is reflected in lingering tensions about larger American cultural debates and individual struggles to reconcile religious values that can seem to be in conflict — for instance, "loving people regardless of their backgrounds, but also advocating for marriage between a man and a woman only."

"We want to be accepting and understanding of people," says 31-year-old Sean, a Latter-day Saint man from North Carolina — before mentioning the faith's teaching about marriage. "It's hard to advocate for what you want, but also wanting other people to find their own happiness and find their own way. "

"Some views that are generally held by the Republican Party also align with the Church and the gospel of Jesus Christ. But there are some places where I have a harder time," says 30-year-old Brittany, a Latter-day Saint woman from Utah who is very conservative. She mentions the strict Republican emphasis on "sending immigrants back" as an example.

"I have a hard time with that because I think what would Jesus do? While he would want just to follow laws, he would also want us to take care of everyone. So, that's an issue I go back and forth on ... To me, it's a real conflict."

United by something else "The majority of Latter-day Saints highly value their religion and feel a strong sense of belonging in their local faith communities," conclude the authors — citing a "strong faith identity, sense of belonging, (and) unity" among Latter-day Saints surveyed.

"Faith plays a crucial role in shaping the identities of many Latter-day Saints, deeply influencing their personal and communal lives," the authors state — pointing to 9 in 10 surveyed saying that religion is important in their lives (92%) — with over half attending religious services once a week or more (55%); and nearly 6 in 10 feeling a strong sense of belonging in their local faith communities (59%).

"I get a lot of the values and a moral compass from the church," says 29-year-old Utah voter Trevor. "I have a different purpose," he continues, sharing the practical impact of his faith on "day to day life" like "going to work, coming home, helping out with the kids can kind of seem mundane at times."

"But this religion gives me a purpose that transcends that. It gives me a lot of hope and gives me something to look forward to."