Empathy divides Americans by religion, with white evangelicals standing apart

Data: PRRI, 2026 American Values Survey; Chart: Russell Contreras/AxiosWhite evangelical Protestants are the only major religious group in which a majority says empathy can become dangerous when it leads people away from a society guided by God's truth, according to a new survey.Why it matters: The survey lands amid a quiet civil war within American Christianity over who deserves empathy.Conservatives ranging from evangelical pastors to Elon Musk have framed empathy as a vulnerability in debates over immigration, racial justice and LGBTQ+ rights.In a February 2025 interview with Joe Rogan, Musk called empathy "the fundamental weakness of Western civilization," while acknowledging its potential good and warning against its weaponization.By the numbers: The annual American Values Survey from the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) released Tuesday found that 42% of white evangelical Protestants agreed that empathy is a foundational moral value that helps build a healthy society.Separately, 54% agreed that empathy can become dangerous when it leads people away from a society guided by God's truth.In every other religious group, PRRI found that at least 66% agreed wi…

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