Poll: Americans of all faiths see a civility problem in U.S. politics

(RNS) Whether they rally behind Fox News' Glenn Beck to "Restore Honor"
or Comedy Central's Jon Stewart to "Restore Sanity," Americans agree on
one thing: our political system has a civility problem.


Four out of five Americans, regardless of party or religious
affiliation, think the lack of respectful discourse in our political
system is a serious problem, according to a PRRI/RNS Religion News Poll
released Thursday (Nov. 11).


The findings echo sentiments expressed by a range of religious
leaders, including Richard J. Mouw, president of Fuller Theological
Seminary and author of "Uncommon Decency: Christian Civility in an
Uncivil World," and Rabbi Steve Gutow, president of the Jewish Council
for Public Affairs.


Alarmed by the 2010 campaign season, which 4 in 10 Americans
consider more negative than past elections, Mouw, Gutow and others are
calling for a kinder, gentler tone -- even on hot-button topics like
Islamophobia, homosexuality or abortion.


"We've had heated public debates before, but the level of discourse
in this campaign and even following the campaign has been atrocious,"
Mouw said, citing as an example Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's
pledge to prevent President Obama's reelection, as opposed to advocating
for policy shifts.


"There's a real hostility now, and Christians with very strong and
more conservative convictions really don't seem to be contributing much
to a civil discourse and a calming of the heated discussions in the
larger culture," Mouw said.


In fact, white evangelicals and Republicans are less likely than
other Americans to say the 2010 election's tone was more negative than
past campaigns, which PRRI research director Daniel Cox said may reflect
their satisfaction with the outcome.


Mouw has another theory: evangelicals are more accustomed to
inflammatory rhetoric from the pulpit, and therefore don't see it as a
problem in politics.


Other findings from the poll, conducted by Public Religion Research
Institute in partnership with Religion News Service, include:


-- One-third of white evangelicals report that the election was more
positive than past elections, a figure that's significantly higher than
among white mainline Protestants (17 percent), the unaffiliated (17
percent) or Catholics (23 percent).


-- Two-thirds of Americans say that people in their local community
work well to overcome differences, and more than eight in 10 Americans
who attend religious services say people in their congregation work well
to overcome differences.


-- Nearly 6-in-10 Americans think the country is more divided over
politics today than in the past; more than four in 10 Americans said the
country is more divided over religion than in the past.


-- About half of white evangelicals and black Protestants think the
country is more divided over religion than it was in the past, compared
to less than 40 percent of Catholics and white mainline Protestants.


-- Young adults (50 percent) are less likely than seniors (61
percent) to say Americans are more divided over politics, but more
likely to say Americans are divided over religion (42 percent of young
adults and 33 percent of older adults, respectively).


Americans are justifiably afraid and upset about the stagnant
economy and terrorism, Gutow said, but he agreed with Mouw that 24/7
cable news channels and the blogosphere have encouraged and magnified
negative, fear-based rhetoric.


In his organization's new Statement on Civility, prompted by
polarizing debate over Israel as well as domestic concerns, Jews agree
to "treat others with decency and honor and to set ourselves as models
for civil discourse, even when we disagree with each other."


The JCPA pledge has collected more than 1,100 signatures since it
was launched Nov. 1, and will form the basis for dialogue amongst Jews
and with people of other faiths.


"I don't think this country, and I don't think our community, are
going to make good decisions if people can't talk to each other
rationally and pragmatically," Gutow said. "We need to lean back, talk
to each other, look each other in the eye and respect each other's
humanity."


Calls for civility have clear religious roots. In Judaism, Talmudic
study encourages back-and-forth conversation, Gutow noted. In the New
Testament, Mouw said, the Apostle Peter tells Christians to express
their convictions "with gentleness and reverence."


"In the world where our Savior has not yet returned to make all
things right, we're going to have to find our way of coping in the
present and trying to do as much good as we can without oppressing other
people, without bearing false witness against other people," Mouw said.


"We have to defend the faith, that's clear, but it says to do it
with `gentleness and reverence."'


The PRRI/RNS Religion News Poll was based on telephone interviews
conducted Nov. 5-8, after the midterm elections, with 1,022 U.S. adults.
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.