Most Utahns don't support Christian nationalism
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Less than one-third of Utahns hold Christian nationalist beliefs, according to a sweeping 50-state survey by the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute.
Why it matters: The once-fringe ideology holds that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation and should be governed according to strict fundamentalist Christian values, even as the country becomes less religious.
The intrigue: Nationally, Latter-day Saints, Utah's largest religious group, appear divided over support for Christian nationalism.
- A separate survey by the Public Religion Research Institute released last October found that 49% of Latter-day Saints identified as adherents or sympathizers of Christian nationalism, while an equal share were skeptical or rejected it.
Christian nationalism is deeply entrenched inside today's Republican Party, according to the survey.
- Utah had the lowest share of residents holding those beliefs among red states.
By the numbers: About one-third of Americans qualify as Christian nationalism "adherents" or "sympathizers."
- 56% of Republicans fall into one of those two categories, the survey said.
- By contrast, 25% of independents and 17% of Democrats do.
Context: Many adherents say the U.S. was founded as the "Promised Land" for white European Christians, and falsely believe the founding fathers sought to create a Christian nation, PRRI president Robert Jones tells Axios.
- Critics say Christian nationalism reinforces rigid, male-dominated leadership models in church, home and government, and merges religious identity with white ethnic nationalism.
- It also elevates Christianity — often a specific conservative Protestant expression — above other faiths.
Zoom in: The survey also shows that Christian nationalism strongly correlates with those who have a favorable opinion of President Trump and those who live in states with GOP-controlled state legislatures.
- The report found that many of those who support Christian nationalism also support far-right views around immigration, pluralism and gender roles, PRRI CEO Melissa Deckman said.
- In Utah, bills that would bar undocumented immigrants from accessing public benefits and revoke driving privilege cards are advancing through the state Legislature.
The bottom line: Christian nationalism remains a minority view nationally.
- But inside the Republican Party, and in many Republican-led states, it is a majority, tightly aligned with Trump and with growing implications for immigration policy, executive power and the future shape of American democracy.
Methodology: PRRI conducted the survey between Feb. 18 and Dec. 8, 2025. The poll is based on a representative sample of 22,111 adults living in all 50 states.
- The margin of error is ±0.87 percentage points at the 95% confidence level, for results based on the entire sample.