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APRIL 11, 2001

A survey released on Tuesday by the Pew Research Center and the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life shows that most Americans support the general idea of giving federal money to religious organizations but have doubts on who should receive taxpayer dollars.

When asked if non Judeo-Christian groups should be eligible for grants, many respondents said no. In some cases, as with the Nation of Islam, an African-American Muslim organizations, some 53 percent were opposed. For the Church of Scientology, 52 percent were opposed.

President Bush has pushed his faith-based initiative as a way of solving the nation's social problems by redirecting federal dollars to religious groups. Coupled with tax breaks for charitable donations, Bush's overall goal is less reliance on the government for traditionally supported programs like drug counseling and homeless outreach.

Get the Survey:
FAITH-BASED FUNDING BACKED, BUT CHURCH-STATE DOUBTS ABOUND (Pew 4/10)

Get the Story:
Survey Exposes 'Faith-Based' Plan Hurdles (The Washington Post 4/11)

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