A new survey reports that the core support for presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s controversial immigration policies derives from white Christians, most of whom also believe their religion — and even their race — is now disproportionately discriminated against.
According to a report released Thursday by PRRI, majorities of every major white Christian group in America support Trump’s dual proposals to build a wall between the United States and Mexico and ban all Muslim immigration into the country.
Yes, you read that right: majorities of all major white Christian groups.
Although only 41 percent of Americans overall support Trump’s plan to build a wall, 58 percent of white evangelical Protestants, 51 percent of white mainline Protestants, and 51 percent of white Catholics back the idea. Similarly, only 40 percent of those polled favored the Donald’s Muslim ban, but 55 percent of white evangelical Protestants and 52 percent of white Catholics endorse the exclusionary policy. Even among white mainline Christians — a group that typically skew more liberal than Catholics and evangelicals on many issues — the plan was popular, with 51 percent agreeing with Trump’s call to temporarily block Muslims from entering the country.
The survey hints that the groundswell of support for such policies emanates from growing racial and religious anxieties among white Christians in particular. PRRI reports that a full 77 percent of white evangelicals believe that discrimination against Christians now rivals that of other groups, with majorities of white mainline Protestants (54 percent) and white Catholics (53 percent) concurring (interestingly, a high number of black Protestants and Hispanic Catholics also agree — 53 percent and 50 percent, respectively). Meanwhile, researchers found that substantial majorities of white evangelicals (68 percent), white mainliners (63 percent), and white Catholics (62 percent) believe that discrimination against whites is now as bad as discrimination against non-whites. These numbers contrast starkly with responses from religious people of color, who soundly reject both Trump’s policies and the idea that whites face ample discrimination. Only 24 percent of Black Protestants support building a wall, for instance, as well as 26 percent of Hispanic Catholics. Similarly small numbers support his Muslim ban (25 percent of Black Protestants and Hispanic Catholics) and 66 percent of Black Protestants and 61 percent of Hispanic Catholics believe that anti-white discrimination is not as bad as discrimination faced by other groups.
The same is true for “nones,” or Americans who claim no religious tradition. Only 27 percent of the religiously unaffiliated back Trump’s wall and Muslim ban. In addition, 67 percent disagree that whites are disproportionately discriminated against, and 77 percent reject the notion that Christians face undue burdens.
Granted, the survey did not break out numbers for each individual denomination, and many liberal-leaning Christians do not support Trump’s policies. The study also did not include specific numbers for other religious identities such as Mormons, a group which — despite being reliably Republican — appears to reject overwhelmingly the GOP nominee’s anti-immigrant policies, and support for Trump’s ideas does not necessarily guarantee a vote for him on election day.
Nevertheless, the survey makes it clear that if American Christians wonder where Trump gets his support for his policies, they need only look in the mirror.