Most Americans believe God has given US 'special role in history'

(Photo: Unsplash/Raúl Nájera)

A sizeable portion of Americans believe that God has "granted America a special role in history'.

This was one finding from the Public Religion Research Institute's annual survey of American values.

While 64% of Americans overall agreed about America's special role, this rose to three quarters of white evangelicals.

Among religious groups, white evangelicals were the most likely to agree, followed by black Protestants (65%).

White mainline Protestants and white Catholics were least likely to share this view (46% each).

But the least support for the idea was to be found among non-Christians (29%), and religiously unaffiliated Americans (18%).

In similar findings, most Americans overall (74%) feel that their country has always been a force for good in the world, rising to 88% among white evangelicals.

The survey also found that a majority (60%) of Americans agree that abortion should be legal in most or all cases.

A similar proportion (63%) said Roe vs Wade - the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the US - was the right decision and should be upheld.

Americans with no religious affiliation (82%) were the most likely to support Roe vs Wade, compared to just 30% of white evangelicals.