Trump's religious liberty order: Most Americans oppose allowing business to refuse gay people services

Most religious Americans oppose allowing businesses to refuse gay couples services based on their religious beliefs, a new poll reveals ahead of an executive order that could do just that.

President Donald Trump is set to sign a 'religious liberty' order on Thursday that will lift restrictions on churches and other tax-exempt organisations from political campaigning.

Conservative evangelical faith leaders were invited to the White House for the long-awaited order's unveiling which coincides with the National Day of Prayer.

But as opponents lined up to criticise the highly controversial bill, new data revealed most religious Americans, apart for white evangelicals, oppose it.

Around 61 per cent of Americans think businesses should not be allowed to refuse gay people goods or services, even if doing so violates their religious beliefs, the survey from PRRI found.

Unitarians were the most strongly opposed with 87 per cent saying they disagreed with the plan but even more socially conservative groups such as black Protestants (66 per cent), white Catholics (61 per cent) and Muslims (60 per cent) did not agree.

White evangelical Protestants stand alone as the only religious group where a majority do not oppose the move but even there the support was split with 50 per cent saying they were in favour and 42 per cent opposed.

The figures highlighted suspicions that Trump's move is only backed by a tiny proportion of Americans but is aimed at  appeasing his core base – white evangelicals, 81 per cent of whom backed him in the presidential election.

Although the text of the order was being finalised this week, there have been suggestions it could also lift restrictions on churches' ability to join, fund and promote political campaigns.

The limits, laid out in the Johnson Amendment, have long angered conservative evangelicals who see it as a restriction on free speech.

But many clergy welcome the amendment and see it as a necessary divide between church and state.

Michael Wear, President Barack Obama's faith adviser when he was in the White House, said any move to relax rules on churches endorsing candidates was unwanted and should be rejected.

'Repealing or weakening the Johnson Amendment will harm the church by making pulpits campaign platforms,' he said on Twitter.