According to a national poll conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, people in Vermont and New Hampshire don’t have as much enthusiasm for organized religion as other Americans. Nationally, 56% of those surveyed said religion is important to them, compared to 36% in the Green Mountain and Granite states.
Dr. Raymond Patterson is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at St. Michaels College. Mitchell Hay is Pastor of the Essex United Methodist Church. They spoke with VPR’s Jane Lindholm about what’s behind the numbers.