The American Bible Society (ABS) has released a study finding that 67% of American teenagers think that God and/or faith in God belong in the White House. Only 8% said it does not, while 25% said "sometimes" or it "depends on the situation."

The results were part of a survey conducted by the ABS to provide a snapshot of youth perceptions of prayer as it relates to the 2004 presidential candidates and to its appropriateness in the White House. Five hundred males and females from across the country, ages 12-17, participated, evenly split by gender and age. The interviewing took place between Sept. 23 and 30. This is the third ABS study; the initial benchmark study was released in November 2003, the second in April 2004.

Asked in the latest study if the president should pray before making important decisions, 72% were in agreement. About 10% said he should not, while 18% said "sometimes." Younger respondents-ages 12 to 14-and those from the Midwest and Southern regions were higher in agreement than their counterparts that the president should pray.

"This study reveals that American young people have strong opinions on whether or not there's a place for faith in the White House," said Eugene Habecker, president of the ABS. "Although they are not yet old enough to vote, many of them will be of voting age in 2008, so their opinions do matter."

The ABS survey was completed online, in partnership with Synovate/TeenNation.

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