May 4, 2009
Churchgoers More Likely To See Torture As Justifiable
by Brian Montopoli
CBS News
A Pew Research Center for the People & the Press survey released last week found that those who attend weekly church services are more likely than those who rarely or never attend services to say the use of torture on suspected terrorists is justifiable.
The poll found that fifty-four percent of those who attend weekly services say the use of torture on terror suspects in order to gain important information can "often" or "sometimes" be justified. That's twelve percent higher than the 42 percent of those who seldom or never attend such services who say the same.
It's important to note that the percentage who says the use of torture can never be justified is roughly the same in both groups, about one in four. See the graphic above.
The poll also suggests that those who are religious are more likely to say the use of torture can be justified than those who are not religious. While roughly one in two Americans say the use of torture can "often" or "sometimes" be justified, a smaller percentage of those who are unaffiliated – 40 percent – say the same. Unaffiliated, for Pew's purposes, are those who call themselves atheist, agnostic, or nothing in particular.
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