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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsSocial IssuesStarted 11yrs agoActive 2yrs ago

Should a business be able to deny service to a customer if the request conflicts with the owner’s religious beliefs?

In 1993 the federal government passed the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The law was intended to protect Native Americans in danger of losing their jobs because of religious ceremonies that involved the illegal drug peyote. In 1997 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Congress overstepped its bounds in passing RFRA in 1993, and that the law applied only to federal laws, not to those passed by the states. Since then 22 U.S. states have passed their own versions of the “religious freedom” laws. Supporters of the law argue that the government shouldn’t force religiou…  

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 1.2m America voters.

45%
Yes
55%
No
34%
Yes
48%
No
5%
Yes, but the owner must post a sign stating their beliefs and what they refuse
7%
No, all customers deserve to be treated equally
4%
Yes, any business should be able to deny service for any reason
2%
Yes, but only for small businesses

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 1.2m America voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 1.2m America voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from America voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @8HJR3JT from Colorado  answered…6yrs6Y

No, but they may deny a requested service that goes against their beliefs

 @8DRTPH8 from Indiana  answered…6yrs6Y

No, all customers deserve to be treated equally & they signed up for a job where they would have to interact with all people, which includes someone who disagrees with you& your beliefs

 @5L48S8Zfrom California  answered…6yrs6Y

There's a fine line here - refusing service at a restaurant to a gay couple is not okay. Requesting a different seat on an airplane because you're forbidden to touch women you're not related to should be accommodated.

 @5L8MPRKfrom New York  answered…6yrs6Y

Yes so long as the denial is based solely upon the request and not the customer. I would not expect a devout religious baker to consent to baking "dick" cakes.

 @4YSDTVQfrom Maine  answered…6yrs6Y

It depends whether they're against the person and their beliefs or the thing they're asking- saying no because someone's gay would be bad, saying no because someone's asking you to carve a swastika in a locket and you're Jewish (or a decent human being) is acceptable

 @9C9QDCC from Louisiana  answered…3yrs3Y

No, but they should have the right to refuse a requested service

 @9FF84MW from Indiana  answered…3yrs3Y

Any private owned business should be able to do whatever they want as long as it stays legal. Their personal belief shouldn't be restricted.

 @5D675PPfrom Illinois  answered…6yrs6Y

If it doesn't involve Healthcare, then yes

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

Canada Proposes Life Sentences For Free Speech Crimes

The Online Harms Act, or Bill C-63 increases the potential penalties from five years to life imprisonment. It also increases the penalty for the willful promotion of hatred (a dangerously ill-defined crime) from two years to five years. The proposed changes constitute a doubling down on Canada’s commitment to reducing free speech for citizens despite criticism from many in the civil liberties community.There is also a chilling option for house arrest if a judge believes a defendant “will commit” an offense. In other words, if a judge thinks that a citizen will be undeterred and try to speak freely again.Justice Minister Arif Virani employed the same hysteria to convince citizens to surrender their freedoms to the government. He expressed how terrified he was with the potential of free speech, stating that he is “terrified of the dangers that lurk on the internet for our children.”It is not likely to end there. Today the rationale is genocide. However, once the new penalties are in place, a host of other groups will demand similar treatment for those with opposing views on their own causes. This law already increased the penalties for anything deemed hateful speech.The law comes after Canada blocked a Russian dissident from becoming a citizen because of her violation of Russian anti-free speech laws. In a telling act, the government said that the same conduct (i.e., free speech) could be a crime in Canada. Indeed, it may now be punished even more harshly.

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

Elizabeth Warren Walks Back Murder Comments

Congressional Democrats broadly denounced the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Friday morning, after Republicans started accusing Sen. Elizabeth Warren of excusing violence.“No one's condoning this,” said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.). “Violence never is the right answer for anything. And it was a horrible murder, a tragic loss for his family.” Warren this week condemned the shooting, but added that people “can be pushed only so far.”"We'll say it over and over," Warren said on MSNBC’S “The ReidOut.” " Violence is never the answer. This guy [Luigi Mangione] gets a trial who's allegedly killed the CEO of UnitedHealth, but you can only push people so far, and then they start to take matters into their own hands."In a statement to POLITICO, Warren said, “Violence is never the answer. Period. I should have been much clearer that there is never a justification for murder.” Top Republicans denounced Warren's comments and the walked-back rhetoric, with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) calling it “inappropriate and dangerous.”Some House Democrats asked about the incident on Thursday pivoted the conversation to discuss policy options on health care or gun safety.“I don't really know that this is really a space that Congress normally weighs in on,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas). “But at the end of the day, I think it’s an opportunity, because now people are talking about health care and to talk about the fact that this industry has honestly not been as helpful as it could be.”“Violence is never the answer,” said Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.). “We know that there are people suffering, there’s great challenges in healthcare. There's great challenges, and people have, in fact, been wronged, but a process of governance is the way to address that, not violence.”And Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) who denounced the murder, said the killer should be prosecuted and that “I do know that allegedly a ghost gun was used, and we should also ban ghost guns. There's no reason for them beyond the streets.”

▲  1614 replies

About This Data

Based on 1.2m responses to this question.

These results come from iSideWith's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).

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iSideWith. (2026). “Should a business be able to deny service to a customer if the request conflicts with the owner’s religious beliefs?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 25, 2026, from https://www.isidewith.com/polls/807956018

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