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31. Understanding QAnon’s Connection to American Politics, Religion, and Media Consumption

Author:
PRRI Staff
Publication Date:
05-2021
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
PRRI: Public Religion Research Institute
Abstract:
The far-right conspiracy theory movement known as QAnon emerged on the internet in late 2017 and gained traction throughout former president Donald Trump’s time in office. QAnon’s core theory revolves around Satan-worshipping pedophiles plotting against Trump and a coming “storm” that would clear out those evil forces, but the movement has also been described as a “big tent conspiracy theory” that involves a constantly evolving web of schemes about politicians, celebrities, bankers, and the media, as well as echoes of older movements within Christianity, such as Gnosticism. To understand how this loosely connected belief system is influencing American politics, religion, and media, we fielded three questions, each containing a tenet of the QAnon conspiracy movement.
Topic:
Religion, QAnon, Conspiracy Theory, and Political Extremism
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

32. Back to School: Parents, Religion, and COVID-19 Vaccination

Author:
PRRI Staff
Publication Date:
08-2021
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
PRRI: Public Religion Research Institute
Abstract:
Parents and guardians of children under the age of 18 are less likely to be vaccine accepters than those without children under 18 in their households, according to data from the latest PRRI-IFYC vaccine report.[1]About six in ten parents (61%) say they have gotten or will get a vaccine, 21% are hesitant, and 17% say they will not get a COVID-19 vaccine. By contrast, Americans without children under 18 in their households are more likely to be acceptant (76%) and less likely to be hesitant (13%) or refusers (10%).
Topic:
Public Health, Vaccine, Pandemic, COVID-19, and Parenting
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

33. Dramatic Partisan Differences On Blame for January 6 Riots

Author:
PRRI Staff
Publication Date:
09-2021
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
PRRI: Public Religion Research Institute
Abstract:
According to new data from PRRI, majorities of Americans say white supremacist groups (59%), former president Donald Trump (56%), and conservative media platforms that spread conspiracy theories and misinformation (55%) shoulder a lot of responsibility for the violent actions of the rioters who took over the U.S. Capitol on January 6. These views have stayed remarkably stable since mid-January, when 62% placed a lot of blame on white supremacist groups, 57% on Trump, and 57% on conservative media platforms that spread misinformation. There are not significant differences between these numbers and January data within subgroups, either. Additionally, about four in ten Americans put a lot of the blame for the Capitol riot on Republican leaders (41%), and 29% put a lot of the blame on white conservative Christian groups. Despite the lack of any credible evidence that substantial numbers of liberal or left-wing groups participated in the riot, 38% put a lot of blame on these groups.
Topic:
Governance, Leadership, Political Parties, Political Extremism, and Partisanship
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

34. Tracking Vaccination by Religion at the County Level

Author:
PRRI Staff
Publication Date:
09-2021
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
PRRI: Public Religion Research Institute
Abstract:
Previous research conducted throughout 2021 by PRRI and IFYC has shown that religious affiliation is correlated with vaccine acceptance, hesitancy, and refusal. This report explores the relationship between religious identity and vaccination rates at the local level. It combines county-level religion estimates from PRRI’s 2020 Census of American Religion with county-level COVID-19 vaccination data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state sources to examine those patterns at the county level.1 The report focuses on only the largest religious groups in the country—those comprising more than 10% of the population—in order to reliably analyze the relationship between vaccination and religious populations across counties in all regions of the country. That includes white evangelical Protestants, white mainline (non-evangelical) Protestants, white Catholics, and the religiously unaffiliated.2 In addition to their geographic dispersion, these religious affiliation groups represent some of the most likely—and the least likely—religious groups to get vaccinated. In June of this year, a PRRI–IFYC survey found that white evangelical Protestants were the least likely group to be vaccine acceptant: Only 56% said they had gotten vaccinated against the coronavirus or would get the vaccine as soon as possible. Other white Christian groups were much more vaccine acceptant, including 74% of white mainline Protestants and 79% of white Catholics. Additionally, 75% of religiously unaffiliated Americans say they have gotten vaccinated or will get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Topic:
Religion, Local, Public Health, Vaccine, Pandemic, and COVID-19
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America