A new survey says Americans will be influenced by their faith more than any other factor in the upcoming Presidential election.
"Religious beliefs" came out top in the list of political influences – closely followed by family members, news media and friends.
The research, conducted by the Barna group, seems to suggest that evangelicals are particularly influenced by their faith. 75 per cent of evangelicals said their faith was the most influential factor in their voting patterns.
George Barna, the founder of the company said, "Evangelicals take a lot of criticism for their blending of faith and politics, but they believe that their faith is meant to be integrated into every dimension of their life. The research shows that they are following through on that belief."
This election has been a particularly divisive one in the evangelical community with some influential figures such as Russell Moore being deeply opposed to the candidacy of GOP nominee Donald Trump, while others such as Eric Metaxas have swung behind Trump.
The data also show a disparity between different kinds of Christians. For example, "religious beliefs are listed as having 'a lot of influence' by 36 percent of Protestants but by only 10 percent of Catholics."
