Education Emerges as Key Factor in Comparing Mainline Pastors and People in the Pews

Religion Unplugged reported in an Aug. 3, 2026, analysis that educational differences may complicate comparisons of the political views held by mainline Protestant clergy and their congregations. Ryan Burge revisited an earlier examination of Public Religion Research Institute survey data showing that mainline pastors were substantially more likely than lay members to identify with the political left. In that comparison, 45% of mainline clergy were liberal Democrats, versus 24% of people in the pews. Lay members, meanwhile, were three times as likely as their pastors to be conservative Republicans.

Burge said the earlier findings drew considerable attention as well as criticism. One response focused on the distinctive demographic profile of mainline pastors, particularly their level of education. More than 90% of clergy in the PRRI sample held at least a master's degree. Because educational attainment can distinguish pastors from many members of their congregations, Burge said it deserved closer consideration when interpreting the clergy-laity political gap. The excerpt provided by Religion Unplugged introduces that question but does not present a final conclusion about how much controlling for education changes the comparison.

To explore the issue further, Burge examined archived material from the Association of Religion Data Archives. He found that PRRI had repeated some questions from its mainline clergy survey in other data-collection projects, creating potential points of comparison across groups. One example asked respondents whether America is a Christian nation. The analysis directs readers to Burge's Substack for the remainder of the examination.

The question is relevant for church communities because political differences between pastors and congregants can shape how each group understands the other, while education may account for part of that divide. Burge is an assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University, a pastor in the American Baptist Church, and a co-founder and frequent contributor to Religion in Public. His research centers on the relationship between religious commitment and political behavior in the United States.