Americans across political lines, ages say faith belongs on screen: survey

February 11, 2026

A nationwide survey of more than 12,000 respondents shows that the vast majority of Americans are open to religious themes in entertainment–contrary to the conventional wisdom that depictions of faith are too risky for mainstream audiences.

The Christian Post reports that the 2026 Faith & Entertainment Index, conducted by market research firm HarrisX in partnership with the Faith & Media Initiative, tested more than 100 scenes from TV and movies.

The survey found that 92% of entertainment consumers indicated that they are open to seeing portrayals of faith on screen, while 77% said faith can have broad appeal in modern entertainment.

Brooke Zaugg, executive director of the Faith & Media Initiative, said, “I knew it would be a big number, but that really is almost like 100 percent.”

Zaugg continued, “Religion can feel scary to talk about — like politics — so it creates the illusion that it’s a small group. That makes it easy for filmmakers to oversimplify it or not give it much thought, instead of recognizing how valuable faith storytelling can be when it’s done well.”

According to the Christian Post, participants in the survey included viewers from diverse ages, religious affiliations and political leanings.

Respondents were shown scenes that included examples from both secular and faith-oriented storytelling, drawn from multiple genres and series.

Researchers reported that scenes that scored highest tended to depict characters authentically exploring their beliefs and placing them in familiar and emotionally grounded contexts.

The findings appear to back up a 2024 report from Movieguide, which found that titles featuring strong Christian, biblical, moral or redemptive themes outperformed movies driven by graphic violence, explicit sexuality or anti-biblical worldviews.

Photo: top, Credit: Sony Affirm Entertainment