Survey: Majority of Americans Think Religious Institutions Should Provide Contraception

A recent survey has revealed that the majority of Americans believe that religious institutions should be forced to provide contraception under their healthcare plans.

According to ChristianToday.com, the Pews Research Center survey revealed that two-thirds of Americans say businesses should have to provide contraceptive care to employees, despite the religious convictions of the business owners.

Only three in 10 survey participants said businesses should be allowed to refuse to provide contraception based on religious reasons.

The survey, which involved responses from more than 4,500 Americans, also explored two other topics.

Results found that Americans are much more evenly divided over issues of religious freedom and gay marriage, as well as transgender issues.

Nearly half (49 percent) of responders said businesses should be required to provide services to same-sex couples, but also nearly half (48 percent), said that businesses should be able to decline providing services to same-sex couples based on religious convictions.

Additionally, survey participants were almost equally divided on whether transgender individuals should be allowed to use the restroom of the gender with which they identify.

Fifty-one percent of responders said transgender people should be allowed to use the restroom corresponding to the gender with which they identify, while 46 percent said they should not be allowed to do so.

"It's interesting to see that so many Americans are in agreement about the question about the provision of birth control in employer-provided health care," said Jessica Martinez, a senior researcher at Pew.

"You see a lot more division on the other two topics we asked about," she added.

Publication date: September 30, 2016