Jack Phillips, owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop in Lakewood, Colo., decorates a cake for a client on Sept. 21, 2017. Phillips refused to bake a cake for a same-sex couple in 2012, a decision that eventually took him all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. As tensions rise over the rights of religious business owners who oppose same-sex marriage, research shows Americans are divided over the role faith should play in professional choices. Fifty-one percent of U.S. adults think someone’s “religious beliefs and values” shouldn’t influence their business decisions, while 48% think they should, according to newly released data from the Faith in America survey , which was conducted by The Marist Poll in partnership with the Deseret News. Factors like partisanship, age and personal faith seemed to shape people’s response to the survey question. The shares of Republicans (68%) and Americans age 60 or older (59%) who said religion should play a role were around twice the shares of Democrats (35%) and Americans under age 30 (31%) who held the same view. “Christians (58%) and those who practice a religion (69%) believe someone’s religion should play a role in their business decisions while 65% of those who do […]
