--- title: North Korea Concerns White Evangelicals, Catholics Most description: White evangelicals and Catholics are more concerned about North Korea’s nuclear intentions than the average American, according to new Pew Center data. canonical: https://time.com/5044878/evangelicals-catholics-north-korea-threat/ author: Elizabeth Dias article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-12-14T19:15:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-12T08:42:17.822Z article:section: Politics og:title: These Religious Groups Are Most Concerned About North Korea og:description: According to the Pew Research Center og:url: https://time.com/5044878/evangelicals-catholics-north-korea-threat/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e9d7621dcecdbbf/6988f37922fb85b262e23e3f/north-korea-lindsey-graham.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2900 og:image:height: 1631 og:image:alt: North Korea Lindsey Graham og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: These Religious Groups Are Most Concerned About North Korea twitter:description: According to the Pew Research Center twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt7e9d7621dcecdbbf/6988f37922fb85b262e23e3f/north-korea-lindsey-graham.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # White Evangelicals and Catholics Are Most Concerned About North Korea > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=cae096a1-9ad2-48fb-8c6c-246a1d8fba42&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Here’s What Donald Trump Has Said About Nuclear Weapons [Watch (HLS stream): Here’s What Donald Trump Has Said About Nuclear Weapons](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/ryN0TFt3.m3u8) (1:13)  _Published 2016-08-03. Donald Trump’s campaign on Wednesday denied a report that said the Republican presidential nominee had repeatedly asked an international foreign policy expert why the U.S. couldn’t use nuclear weapons._ by [Elizabeth Dias](https://time.com/author/elizabeth-dias/) ## Elizabeth Dias Dec 14, 2017 7:15 PM UTC by [Elizabeth Dias](https://time.com/author/elizabeth-dias/) ## Elizabeth Dias Dec 14, 2017 7:15 PM UTC White evangelicals and Catholics are more concerned about North Korea’s nuclear intentions than the average American, according to data TIME obtained from the Pew Research Center. The Pew Research Center recently issued a [report](http://www.people-press.org/2017/11/03/increasing-public-concern-over-north-koreas-nuclear-capability-intentions/) finding that American concern over North Korea’s nuclear capabilities and intentions has increased in the past four years. TIME asked Pew for a breakdown of the data by religious affiliation, which was not published in the public report. Pew found that 82% of white evangelicals and 80% of Catholics think the U.S. government should take North Korea’s threats to use nuclear missiles against the U.S. “very seriously,” compared to 71% of Americans overall, and 60% of religiously unaffiliated Americans. Pew also found that 73% of white evangelicals and Catholics think that North Korea’s leadership is “really willing” to follow through on its threats to use nuclear weapons against the U.S, compared to 65% of Americans overall and 58% of religiously unaffiliated Americans. Views are closest on the question of whether or not North Korea is capable of launching a nuclear missile that could reach the U.S. Pew found that 64% of Americans overall think North Korea is capable, compared to 67% of white evangelicals, 72% of Catholics, and 58% of religiously unaffiliated. There was not data to determine attitudes of other religious groups, or to compare change in religious perspective from previous years. The survey was conducted Oct. 25-30. ## Transcript Nuclear, nuclear, nuclear, nuclear, nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons, nuclear weapon, nuclear weapon, nuclear weapon, nuclear weapon. The biggest problem we have today is nuclear, nuclear proliferation, and having some maniac some madman go out And get a nuclear weapon. I hate proliferation. I hate nuclear more than anything. My uncle was a professor at MIT. He used to tell me about nuclear. That's contradictory. No. No. At some point we have to say you know what. We're better off if Japan protects itself against this maniac in North Korea. Can you tell the middle east we're not using a nuclear weapon on anybody? I would never say that. I would never take any of my cards off the table. How about Europe? We won't use it in Europe. I'm not going to take it off the table for anybody. You might use it in Europe? No. I don't think so, but I'm not taking it. Why not just say it? I'm using a nuclear weapon in Europe. I am not I am not taking cards of the table. They always say Trump wants Japan to go nuclear, I don't. I really don't. But listen, when you have North Korea and you have Japan, and they're very close to each other, and frankly, we're sort of semi involved we don't wanna be involved At some point it could happen anyway. They said I want Japan to nuke. 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