Critical Analysis

1. Only two members of Congress—less than half of 1%—say they are not religious. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, independent of Arizona – identifies as religiously unaffiliated. Another (Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman of California) describes himself as humanist. According to the data from the visual above, what percent of Americans say they are not religious (unaffiliated)?

2. Since 2007, the share of Christians in the general population has dropped from 78% to its present level of 63%. Nearly three-in-ten U.S. adults now say they are religiously unaffiliated, describing themselves as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular,” up from 16% who did not identify with a religion 16 years ago. According to the visual above, over the past 50 years, describe the trend of the percentage of Americans who identify as Christians.

3. Christians make up 88% of the voting members of the new 118th Congress being sworn in on Jan. 3 – only a few percentage points lower than the Christian share of Congress in the late 1970s. In the 96th Congress, which was in session in 1979-1980, 91% of members of Congress identified as Christian. What is the big story this chart tells about religion in congress?

4. Compare the religious composition of congress to that of the entire U.S.?

5. Based on your knowledge of American politics and the visuals above and below*, make a claim about why the U.S. and the Congress are religiously different.

6. How does this religious discrepancy between Congress and the general population of the U.S. impact U.S. political policy?

7. According to the data from the Pew research visual below*, what most surprised you about the religious makeup of Congress.

8. According to the data from the visual below*, how does the religious makeup of the House compare to the Senate?

9. According to the data from the visual below*, describe the religious difference between the 117th and 118th Congress.

10. If Congress were majority-non religious today, describe three policy changes that would result.

Learning Extension

Read all the details of the religious makeup of the 118th Congress from Pew.

Action Extension

Examine the religious breakdown of your state and your state’s congressional delegation. Share the results in class or online.

Visual Extension*