Overwhelming majority of Americans believe in God

Washington, Oct 5 (UNI) An overwhelming majority of people in the United States believe in God, but their views of God vary widely, says a new survey.

The survey conducted by the Gallup Organisation for Baylor University, a Baptist University in Waco, Texas is part of a comprehensive study of religion in the US and it also examined such issues as income and educational level in relation to beliefs and the influence of religion on political choices.

The Baylor religion study concludes that belief in God and affiliation with a religious faith is deeply rooted in America.

In 2004, the General Social survey reported that 14.3 per cent of the population had no religion, but by using a more detailed measure in the Baylor survey, researchers determined that only 10.8 per cent of the population or approximately 10 million Americans are unaffiliated.

''We believe, and are going to argue, that it (the statistics) has more to do with how you ask about the religious connection than what it says about the commitment of the average American to their faith,'' says Baylor sociology professor Kevin Dougherty.

Although analysis of the data will be ongoing, some significant findings have emerged from the preliminary analyses.

The Baylor Religion survey said a third of Americans (33.6 per cent), roughly 100 million people, are Evangelical Protestants by affiliation.

The majority (62.9 per cent) of Americans not affiliated with a religious tradition believe in God or some higher power, it said.

The survey said more than a quarter have read Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, but likelihood of reading the book decreases with church attendance.

The survey finds a surprising level of paranormal belief and experience in the US, with paranormal beliefs most prevalent in eastern states and less prevalent in southern states.

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