Most Americans of faith agree that houses of worship shouldnt be allowed to evade state and local authorities stay-at-home orders during the coronavirus pandemic but theres a notable anomaly within that trend, a new survey suggests.

About one-third of white evangelical Protestants a religious group with strong ties to President Donald Trump and the Republican Party support the idea of granting religious exemptions to stay-at-home-orders, according to a Public Religion Research Institute report published last Wednesday.

White evangelicals were more likely than other religious Americans to favor allowing churches and other religious organizations to hold in-person services, according to the survey.

About one-quarter of nonwhite Protestants said the same, along with 18% of both white Catholics and the religiously unaffiliated of all races, and 15% of white mainline Protestants.

More broadly, only about 21% of all Americans favor religious exemptions to stay-at-home orders for churches. Most Americans (77%) oppose allowing churches and religious organizations to hold in-person services, with 40% strongly opposing the exemptions.

PRRI conducted its survey just before Easter, a Sunday when churches are usually packed. Only 3% of Americans who typically attend religious services at least a few times a year reported that they planned to attend in-person services for Easter or other religious occasions, according to PRRI.