IVF and artificial birth control

Seventy-three percent of all voters — including majorities of Biden (83%) and Trump supporters (64%) — say access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) is a good thing. The Catholic Church opposes the use of IVF as “morally unacceptable,” though polling has suggested few U.S. Catholics view IVF as morally wrong.

Similarly, a majority of voters — 93% of Biden supporters and 66% of Trump supporters — say it is good for society that birth control is widely available. Despite the Church’s longtime opposition to artificial birth control, large majorities of Catholics report using condoms and hormonal birth control.

Religion in society

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A large majority of voters (71%) believe that religion should be “kept separate from government policies”; just 28% say government policies should support religious values and beliefs. Larger shares of Trump supporters than Biden supporters say religion — and particularly the Bible — should have influence on government policy.

Of Trump supporters, 36% say the Bible should have “a great deal” of influence on government policy, while 53% of Biden supporters say it should have no influence. Another 22% of Trump backers would like the federal government to declare Christianity the official religion of the U.S., while just 6% of Biden backers say this.

Fifty-nine percent of Trump supporters say that the federal government should not declare Christianity the official religion but it should promote Christian moral values — 34% of Biden supporters say the same.

A large share of voters (80%), including sizable majorities of both Biden and Trump supporters, say they are comfortable with someone they don’t know saying they will keep them in their prayers.

Criminal justice and gun control

A majority of voters overall (61%) say the criminal justice system is generally “not tough enough on criminals.” Just 13% say the system is too tough, while 25% say it treats criminals about right. 

Trump supporters (81%) are about twice as likely as Biden supporters (40%) to say the criminal justice system is not tough enough on criminals; older voters are also more likely to say this overall. 

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Roughly 8 in 10 Biden supporters (83%) say the increase in guns in the U.S. is at least somewhat bad for society and those voters prioritize gun control by wide margins. Relatively few Trump supporters (21%) view the growing number of guns negatively; more say it is a good thing for society (40%) or neither bad nor good (38%).

Artificial intelligence

There is “broad skepticism” about the increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) in daily life, with roughly half of both Trump and Biden supporters saying the increased use of AI is “bad for society,” the report suggests. Pope Francis and the Vatican have weighed in repeatedly on the ethical use of artificial intelligence, with the pope set to attend the G7 summit this month to speak about the topic.

Race and diversity

Among registered voters, 8 in 10 Biden supporters say that white people benefit at least a fair amount from advantages in society that Black people do not have. By contrast, only 22% of Trump supporters say this.

Most Biden supporters (79%) say the historical practice of slavery in the U.S. continues to have at least a fair amount of impact. Among Trump supporters, a far smaller share (27%) say slavery’s legacy continues to affect Black people in the U.S.