An overwhelming majority of Americans see the value of religion in their personal lives but remain wary about injecting religion directly into public schools. Those were major findings of For Goodness' Sake: Why So Many Want Religion To Play a Greater Role in American Life, a new study from the Public Agenda group.

"Living side by side with Americans' conviction that more religion is needed is a deeply ingrained norm of tolerance and appreciation for diversity," the study finds. These crosscurrents show up in Americans' attitudes about prayer in public school. Six out of 10 disagree with the statement "school prayer violates the Constitution and the idea of separation of church and state." Yet only 6 percent call for a school prayer tailored to the Christian majority. "Most are reluctant to isolate students whose beliefs are different, and voice concern that school prayers may infringe on the rights of parents," Public Agenda observes. Some 53 percent of those surveyed favor a moment of silence in public schools; 20 percent backed a prayer that refers to God without referring to a specific religion; and 19 percent thought it best to avoid all observances.

"Remarkably, the public also agrees with arguments against school prayer," the study notes; majorities agreed that school prayer could isolate and embarrass some children and could infringe on the religious values parents are trying to teach at home.