A new Pew Research Center survey reveals significant political differences among America’s religious groups, with atheists and agnostics showing the strongest Democratic preferences while White evangelical Protestants overwhelmingly favor Republicans.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Atheists and agnostics are among the strongest supporters of Democratic congressional candidates ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, according to a new Pew Research Center survey showing substantial differences in political preferences based on Americans’ religious identities.
The survey, published Oct. 13, found that 81% of registered voters identifying as atheists support Democratic candidates for the U.S. House of Representatives, compared with just 9% who favor Republicans. Another 10% support other candidates or remain undecided.
Among agnostics, 75% favor Democrats, while 13% support Republicans and 11% are undecided or prefer another candidate.
The findings place atheists and agnostics among the most Democratic-leaning religious identity groups examined, exceeding the party’s support among Black Protestants, Hispanic Catholics and voters who identify as religiously unaffiliated without specifying atheism or agnosticism.
Pew surveyed 5,062 American adults, including 3,917 registered voters, between Sept. 28 and Oct. 4, 2026. Participants were members of the organization’s American Trends Panel, a nationally representative research panel.
Across all registered voters, 44% said they would support the Democratic candidate in their congressional district, compared with 36% who preferred the Republican candidate. The remaining 20% were undecided or supported another candidate.
The eight-percentage-point Democratic advantage reflects voter preferences at the time of the survey rather than a projection of the final election results.
Religious affiliation emerged as a significant dividing line.
Among registered voters who identify as White evangelical Protestants, 73% favored Republican congressional candidates, while 12% supported Democrats.
White evangelical Protestants were the only religious group examined in which an outright majority supported Republican candidates, according to Pew.
White Catholics also leaned Republican, with 50% supporting GOP candidates compared with 32% favoring Democrats.
White nonevangelical Protestants were more closely divided, with 45% supporting Republicans and 37% preferring Democrats. Pew said the difference was not statistically significant.
Other religious groups expressed stronger preferences for Democratic candidates.
Among Black Protestants, 74% favored Democrats and 6% supported Republicans. Hispanic Catholics also leaned Democratic, with 59% backing the party compared with 19% supporting Republicans.
Catholic voters overall were more evenly divided, with 42% supporting Democrats and 39% favoring Republicans.
Religiously unaffiliated voters, a broader category encompassing atheists, agnostics and people who identify with no particular religion, favored Democrats by 61% to 17%.
Within that category, voters who described their religion as “nothing in particular” were less strongly aligned with Democrats than atheists and agnostics. Among those respondents, 48% preferred Democrats, 22% supported Republicans and 29% were undecided or favored another candidate.
The distinctions highlight substantial differences within America’s religiously unaffiliated population, which is sometimes treated as a single voting bloc.
Atheists generally reject belief in the existence of gods, while agnostics express uncertainty about whether a deity exists or whether such knowledge is possible. Both groups are classified as religiously unaffiliated in Pew’s research.
The survey also examined President Donald Trump’s approval ratings across religious groups.
According to the Pew findings, atheists and agnostics reported particularly high levels of dissatisfaction with the president.
Among atheists, 92% disapproved of Trump’s job performance, while 8% approved.
Agnostics expressed similar views, with 87% disapproving and 12% approving.
Black Protestants also reported substantial disapproval, with 90% expressing dissatisfaction and 7% approving of the president’s performance.
White evangelical Protestants remained Trump’s strongest religious constituency. Among that group, 58% approved of his performance, while 40% disapproved.
They were the only religious group in the analysis in which more respondents approved than disapproved of Trump’s presidency.
Among White Catholics, 39% approved and 59% disapproved. White nonevangelical Protestants reported comparable results, with 38% approving and 60% disapproving.
Overall, 30% of American adults approved of Trump’s job performance, compared with 68% who disapproved.
The results indicate that religious identity remains closely associated with partisan preferences, although the survey does not establish that religious beliefs themselves determine how individuals vote.
Pew also found that Democratic voters were more engaged in the upcoming elections than Republican voters.
A separate analysis of voter demographics and political engagement found that 58% of registered voters who had given substantial thought to the midterms favored Democratic congressional candidates, compared with 34% who supported Republicans.
Among voters who described themselves as extremely motivated to participate, Democrats held a 59% to 35% advantage.
The findings suggest that enthusiasm and political engagement may influence which registered voters ultimately participate, although actual turnout remains uncertain.
Pew cautioned that its religious-group analysis was based on registered voters, not exclusively those expected to cast ballots.
Turnout can vary significantly among demographic and religious groups. In the 2022 midterms, approximately 46% of eligible Americans voted.
Additionally, subgroup estimates are subject to greater sampling uncertainty than results for the full survey population.
The survey therefore provides a picture of political preferences among religious groups rather than a prediction of congressional control.
With Election Day approaching, the findings underscore the differences between two major constituencies: religiously unaffiliated voters, particularly atheists and agnostics, who overwhelmingly favor Democratic candidates, and White evangelical Protestants, who remain strongly aligned with Republicans.
The broader electorate remains more closely divided, with Democrats holding an eight-point advantage among registered voters in Pew’s early October survey.
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