What U.S. Religious Groups Really Think About One Another

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If you’re Jewish, Catholic or Evangelical, you’re one of the three most highly regarded religions in the U.S., according to a Pew survey. Atheists and Muslims score considerably lower, while agnostics and atheists rank Buddhists higher than any other group. It’s hard to keep track, so here’s a scorecard.

By Mark Strauss—io9

The Pew survey used a „feeling thermometer“ to gauge how members of religious groups regard each other. A rating of 100 degrees means people feel as warm and positive as possible, zero means people feel as cold and negative as possible, and 50 degrees represents people who don’t feel particularly positive or negative toward a group.

The results? Attitudes among religious groups toward each other range from mutual regard to unrequited positive feelings to mutual coldness. Catholics and Evangelicals generally view each other warmly. White Evangelical Protestants give Catholics an average thermometer rating of 63; Catholics rate evangelicals at 57. Evangelicals also hold very positive views of Jews, with white Evangelical Protestants giving Jews an average thermometer rating of 69. But that warmth is not mutual: Jews tend to give Evangelicals a much cooler rating (34 on average).

Among the other notable findings:

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