Officials should not compromise beliefs

As public officials continue to wrestle with hot-button issues ranging from abortion to gay rights to the death penalty, they may find thinner ranks of citizens supporting compromise. Those are some of the findings from a national survey by Public Agenda, New York, that compares how Americans' views of religion in public life have changed between 2000 and 2004.

The survey found a smaller number of people who believe that deeply religious elected officials sometimes have to compromise in the political arena, with major decreases among those who attend religious services weekly.

For example, in 2000, 84% of U.S. citizens overall declared that "Even elected officials who are deeply religious sometimes have to make compromises and set their convictions aside to get results while in government." In 2004, that number dropped to 74%, with even sharper declines among weekly service attenders (82% in 2000 vs. 63% in 2004) and Evangelicals (79% in 2000 vs. 63% in 2004).

Concerning the issues of abortion, gay rights, and the death penalty, the majority of Americans who attend services weekly now say that deeply religious politicians should stick to their own beliefs rather than be willing to compromise.

"Compromise has a long and important history in American politics," says Ruth A. Wooden, president of Public Agenda. "But in 2004, there were more Americans who wanted elected officials to keep their religious principles in mind when they vote on issues like abortion and gay rights. We found double-digit decreases in support for compromise on these issues among those who attend services weekly and among Catholics. These changes are really quite dramatic.

"For many, compromise is essential in a diverse society. But others see compromise as a retreat from core values and beliefs. What this research suggests is that this nation is still struggling with the challenges and benefits of compromising on difficult issues and working through the role of religion in public life."

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