Some other small religious groups are about as numerically well-represented on Capitol Hill as in the general population. Muslims, who account for 0.6% of the US adult population, make up 0.4% of Congress, while Buddhists make up 0.7% of the US adult population and 0.6% of Congress. There are no Jehovah's Witnesses, Hindus or people who practice other world religions in Congress; these groups each have a small presence (less than 1%) in the US population as a whole.
As previously mentioned, members of Congress are more likely than the public overall to affiliate with any particular religion. Six members of the new Congress (about 1%) do not specify a religious affiliation, and no members describe themselves as unaffiliated. By comparison, about one-sixth of the American public (16%) falls into the unaffiliated category, with another 1% saying they don't know or refusing to specify. The low number of religiously unaffiliated elected officials is perhaps not surprising given Americans' attitudes toward religion and politics. According to asummer 2010 survey by the Pew Forum and the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, 61% of Americans say it is important for members of Congress to have strong religious beliefs. This view is expressed by eight-in-ten white evangelical Protestants (83%); seven-in-ten black Protestants (71%); and at least six-in-ten white mainline Protestants (64%), white Catholics (66%) and Hispanic Catholics (61%). Even among self-identified atheists and agnostics, 15% say it is important for members of Congress to have strong religious beliefs.
Read the full report including analysis of Differences Between Chambers, Parties and Newly Elected/Incumbents and A Look Back at changes in the religious composition of Congress over the last 50 years at pewforum.org.
1 All six members of Congress who decline to specify an affiliation are incumbents and are counted in this analysis in the "Don't Know/Refused" category. In addition, one member of the House of Representatives, Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.), identifies his religion as Unitarian but has also said he is an atheist (does not believe in God). He is counted in this analysis in the "Other Faiths" category, which includes Unitarianism. If he were counted, instead, as an atheist and added to the six members in the "Don't know/Refused" category, the portion of members of Congress who either do not specify a faith or are unaffiliated with any particular faith would still be about 1%.
2. The Mormon category includes those who identify their faith as Mormon (14 members) as well as those who identify with the Community of Christ (one member).
Photo credit: Getty Images
Graphic credit: Diana Yoo, Pew Forum
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