Pew Research Reveals Non-Reciprocal Religious Sentiment: Only 15% of Evangelical Protestants View Latter-day Saints Positively

A recent study by the Pew Research Center highlights a significant disparity in how Latter-day Saints and other Christian groups in the U.S. perceive each other. While members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints generally hold positive views toward other Christian denominations, this sentiment is often not reciprocated. The findings underscore differing interfaith dynamics within the broader American religious landscape.

Specifically, the Pew study, released in March 2023, indicated that only 15% of born-again or evangelical Protestants view Latter-day Saints positively. This contrasts sharply with 27% of the same group who expressed negative views toward Latter-day Saints. The lack of reciprocal positive sentiment from evangelical Protestants was a key finding in the comprehensive survey.

Conversely, Latter-day Saints demonstrate a broader openness towards other faiths. According to the Pew Research Center, they were the sole religious group surveyed to hold an overall favorable view of all other groups, including Evangelical Christians, Mainline Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and Atheists. This unique characteristic suggests a distinct approach to interfaith relations within the Latter-day Saint community.

The general American public also tends to hold more negative than positive views of Latter-day Saints. Approximately a quarter of U.S. adults who are not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (26%) reported negative views, compared to only 14% who held positive views. This perception gap is often linked to a lack of familiarity or understanding of Latter-day Saint beliefs and practices, with some non-LDS individuals not considering them Christian.

Commenting on these findings, social media user Tyler Hogge observed, "> Latter-day Saints feel positively towards other Christian group in the US, but the reverse is not true. Very Christlike, I’d say." This reflects a common interpretation that the non-reciprocal positivity aligns with core Christian tenets of charity and goodwill, even when faced with differing opinions. The ongoing research by Pew continues to shed light on the evolving dynamics of religious tolerance and perception in the United States.