#USA #DC – A majority of U.S. adults who regularly attended religious services reported that their clergy addressed at least one political or social issue in recent months, according to a Pew Research Center survey released in late May 2026.
The survey, conducted April 6-12, 2026, among 3,592 U.S. adults — including 1,391 who attended services at least monthly — found that two-thirds (66%) of regular attenders heard their minister, priest, rabbi, or other clergyperson speak about such topics in the past few months. Researchers asked about seven specific issues: abortion, Israel, homosexuality, immigration, U.S. military action in Iran, the environment, and transgender people.
Abortion topped the list, with 35% of respondents saying clergy had spoken about it. Israel followed closely at 34%, and homosexuality at 31%. Other topics included immigration (27%), U.S. military action in Iran (25%), the environment (24%), and people who are transgender (23%).
When clergy addressed the three most common topics, messages tended to lean in specific directions. On abortion, far more attenders heard opposition than support for abortion rights. Discussions of homosexuality more often opposed it than encouraged acceptance of gay or lesbian people. On Israel, support outweighed criticism.
Catholic and White evangelical Protestant congregations stood out. Both groups were the most likely to report hearing about abortion. White evangelicals were particularly likely to hear messages on homosexuality.
Perceptions of clergy’s political leanings also varied. Overall, 19% of respondents said they believed their clergy were mostly Republicans, compared to 8% who viewed them as mostly Democrats. Those shares were higher among White evangelicals.
The findings came amid ongoing debates about the proper role of religion in public life. The Pew report highlighted how traditional hot-button issues continued to dominate pulpit discussions, even as global events like conflicts involving Israel and U.S. military actions in the Middle East influenced sermon topics.
The survey’s margin of error for regular service attenders was plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Full results and methodology are available on the Pew Research Center website.
Image: Pew Research Centre logo.
