With Christmas on the horizon, the new SHU poll focuses on religious symbols during the holiday season and the use of religion on state affairs like the Pledge of Allegiance.

The SHU Polling Institute was started in 2002 through an interest of Dr. Cernera.

"We teamed to begin the Polling Institute to provide students and faculty a new resource, a way to study current public opinion on new and old issues. It's also another opportunity for Americans, in all fifty states, to voice their opinions on the issues of the day," said Jerry Lindsley, director of the Sacred Heart University Polling Institute.

The Polling Institute completes 1,000 surveys across all fifty states through phone interviews at random. Each respondent was at least 18 years or older and one of the heads of the household.

Statistically, 1,000 telephone interviews will represent a margin for error of plus or minus 3 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.

Basically, if this survey was conducted many times over with the same instruments, the results would be within 3 percent of the results the first time, 95 percent of the time.

"We decide what to poll by staying current on issues of the day and being innovative in looking at issues in different ways. We also try to do what other polling institutes do not do - that is to look at why people think the way they do in addition to studying what they think," said Lindsley.

In this case, two of the most recent polls were to see whether or not people support the temporary display of religious symbols on public greens during the holiday season, and whether or not people would be opposed to removing the phrase "under God" in the pledge of allegiance.

Regarding the temporary display of religious symbols, 80.8 percent of people polled support religious symbols on public greens during the holidays.

"The twenty percent of people who do not support the display of these religious symbols are not just atheists, but people who feel strongly about the separation of church and state as well," said Dr. June-Ann Greeley, professor of religious studies.

"When you put a display up, you are advocating that display," said Greeley.

To balance the holidays evenly, most towns will put a Christmas tree next to a Menorah to account for the two major holidays in December.

"I think it's cute when people do it," said Kelly Parks, sophomore, Stoughton, Mass. "I don't see anything wrong with it."

The other poll, on whether or not people are opposed to removing the phrase "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance, had a result of 88.8 percent of the people polled opposed to removing it.

"I was surprised to hear about such a high percentage of people opposed to it. That's huge. That is basically nine out of every 10 Americans," said Greeley.

The phrase "under God" came about during the McCarthy era of American history as a pledge to patriotism.

"I don't think the phrase has anything to do with religion, but rather just deals with simple patriotism," said Danielle Holton, sophomore, Northford, and Spectrum reporter.

Public schools are trying to become more politically correct nowadays, in an effort not to offend anyone. Then the question arises, who does this phrase offend?

"This poll shows that the majority of America truly believes that we are all blessed by the will of God and we have a special place in the world," said Greeley. "It's a call for unity."

Dr. Greeley also brought up the interesting fact of how this poll would be taken in 2000, the year before Sept. 11, 2001.

"Maybe it was different in 2000. Sept. 11 is still with us and we still like to believe that we are unified. Being 'under God' we can all be unified."