Thread by @sarahposner

It is impossible to understand the current state of the GOP without understanding white evangelicalism.

Yet how many political reporters have that understanding?

"white evangelical Protestants are the only religious group in which a majority (57%) express a preference for a mostly Christian country." -- @PRRIpoll American Values Survey, out today.

On immigration (via @PRRIpoll)

On Islam:

"White evangelical Protestants (75%) are the most likely to agree with the idea that the values of Islam are at odds with American values and ways of life."

prri.org/research/compe…

On Trump (obviously):

"Nearly half of white evangelical Protestants (49%) say that they have become more likely to think of themselves as Republicans over the past five years."

prri.org/research/compe…

"A majority of white evangelical Protestants (60%) and around four in ten white Catholics (40%) and white mainline (non-evangelical) Protestants (37%) believe that the election was stolen from Trump."

On QAnon:

"White evangelical Protestants are most likely to be QAnon believers (23%), followed closely by non-Christian religious Americans (21%) and other Christians (19%)."

On violence:

"White evangelical Protestants (26%) are the religious group most likely to agree that true American patriots might have to resort to violence in order to save our country... The belief that violence could be an option is stronger among those ...

who support Trump "and view changing culture as a threat. Among those who think the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, 39% agree that true American patriots might have to resort to violence in order to save our country."

prri.org/research/compe…

"Just one in five white evangelicals say the Republican Party has been taken over by racists (19%)."

prri.org/research/compe…

Of course covering white evangelicalism and the GOP takes more than understanding these trends. It takes understanding the white evangelical world, which takes a lot of time, immersion, and commitment.