Raising Hope features LGBTQ+ characters, including Shelley, a recurring lesbian character depicted with dignity and agency, and an elderly gay couple portrayed positively. The show integrates these characters naturally into its quirky world, avoiding harmful stereotypes. While some comedic plots involve identity, the humor is generally not at the expense of LGBTQ+ individuals, resulting in a net positive and respectful portrayal.

Raising Hope frequently satirizes the Chance family's superficial and transactional engagement with Christianity. The narrative consistently portrays the characters' religious practices as misguided, hypocritical, or driven by self-interest rather than genuine faith, without offering significant counterbalancing positive portrayals of the religion or its adherents. This comedic critique reinforces a negative stereotype of religiosity as foolish or self-serving.