Silicon Valley, USA - In a reversal of trends, a majority of Americans now believe that religion should be kept out of politics and that churches should not express their views on matters of social and political concerns.
A new national survey conducted by nonpartisan "fact tank" -- the Pew Research Centre -- has suggested that for the first time in over a decade, at least 52 per cent of the general public and 50 per cent of conservatives believe that churches and houses of worship should keep out of politics, with an increasing number of voters saying they were uncomfortable listening to politicians express religious views.
While in 2004, 40 per cent of the people surveyed said politicians speaking on religious aspects made them uncomfortable, the current survey found 46 per cent of the people doing the same.
Most of the shift or "change of heart," the survey showed, has occurred among conservatives.
In 2004, when President Bush won the presidential polls, just 30 per cent of conservatives reported that religious institutions should refrain from indulging in political conversation.
As a result, conservatives are now more in line with moderates and liberals when it comes to their views on religion and politics overlapping each other.
"Similarly, the sharp divisions between Republicans and Democrats that previously existed on this issue have disappeared," Pew said.