About 102 million people of faith—including "32 million self-identified Christians who regularly attend church"—are likely to abstain from voting in November, according to a new study from Arizona Christian University (ACU). Many, including the study's lead researcher, are encouraging churches to "pull it together" to get their congregations out of the pews and into the polls.
The ACU study indicates that enthusiasm for this election among people of faith—defined as someone who associates with a recognized religion, such as Christianity, Judaism, Mormonism, and Islam—is lower than usual and much lower than in 2020, with 57 percent of respondents offering dislike for both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris as the reason for their apathy. About 55 percent also said none of the candidates reflected their most important views, and half of the expected nonvoters said the election has become too controversial.
