A new survey by the B.H. Roberts Foundation, a nonprofit that supports research related to Latter-day Saints, shows that Americans know little about the Church and its members—but most don’t dislike the faith. Here are some of the most interesting takeaways from the survey.
What Do People Know about Our Beliefs?
To gauge respondents’ knowledge about Latter-day Saint beliefs, the survey asked whether five statements were true or false:
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) ...
- Can live with more than one wife
- Can’t eat chocolate
- Can’t drink alcohol
- Can’t have blood transfusions
- Believe Christ is the Son of God
Results show that many Americans have little basic knowledge of Latter-day Saint beliefs:
“The amount of ignorance people had about the church was shocking,” said Josh Coates, executive director of the B.H. Roberts Foundation, to Deseret News. “I mean, two-thirds of the people that responded either thought we practice polygamy, or they weren’t sure if we practice polygamy.”
Do People Like the Church and Its Members?
Despite this lack of knowledge about the faith, most respondents didn’t say they dislike the Church or its members. But nor did they say they like the Church. In fact, more than half of respondents said they “neither like nor dislike” the Church and its members.
Interestingly, respondents who said they liked Latter-day Saints scored three times higher on the quiz mentioned above versus those who dislike Church members.
“The biggest takeaway for me is that the more you know about Latter-day Saints, the more you like them. The less you know about Latter-day Saints, the more you dislike them,” Coates told Deseret News.
Who Likes the Church the Most and the Least?
The survey cited how several different groups of people felt about the Church—specifically the religiously unaffiliated, LGBTQ+ people, Catholics, Republicans, and Muslims. The group that liked the Church the most was Muslims, who were 29 percent more likely to say they like the Church:
“The more religious you are, the more friendly you are toward Latter-day Saints,” says Coates.
Other Data
Scroll down to see more interesting takeaways from the survey.
