The Spiritual State of the Nation survey, answered in early 2006, turned up surprising confidence in President Bush. Some 76 percent of the 22,000 people who responded to the survey said they had confidence in the President. Clustered at the bottom of the trust scale were the media (1 percent), local public school officials (12 percent), and congressional representatives and local government officials (both 13 percent).

The Spiritual State of the Nation survey, now in its seventeenth year, is an annual measure of evangelical attitudes on a broad range of social and moral questions. Its purpose is to educate policy makers, public officials, and journalists on the attitudes of this segment of American culture.

"This instrument, while not a scientific survey, is a robust expression of pro-family evangelical opinion," said Dr. D. James Kennedy, President of Coral Ridge Ministries. "We distribute its results to government officials and the news media to help them better understand the thinking of evangelical Christians, the so-called 'values voters.'"

Some 96 percent of those responding said they support a federal marriage protection amendment. On abortion, the survey found strong support for overturning Roe v. Wade (93 percent) and for the federal ban on partial-birth abortion (96 percent).

Respondents to the survey were almost unanimous in supporting free speech for ministers. Some 99 percent said they believe that pastors should be "allowed to publicly speak out against sexual sins, including homosexuality, without fear of being charged with a 'hate crime' and without jeopardizing the tax-exempt status of their churches."

A second survey, the American Morality Poll, answered in mid-2006 by more than 25,000 people, also registered strong support for clergy free speech. Some 99 percent answered, "no" when asked whether the IRS should be "free to crack down on churches that take stands on the issues of the day." Respondents, by 98 percent, opposed federal grants to Planned Parenthood, the nation's leading performer of abortions. Just one percent said they favor legalization of partial-birth abortion. A mere .3 percent want same-sex marriage to be legalized.

Complete results for both surveys can be accessed at 2006 Spiritual State of the Nation survey results and 2006 American Morality Poll results.

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Coral Ridge Ministries is a Christian broadcasting organization with radio and television programming that reaches into 200 nations.