New survey: religion and politics
According to a new poll, White Christians are now a minority group in America. They dominate the Republican party (73%) but the Democratic party has just 29% ... The stark racial and religious divide between Democrats and Republicans, in one chart. So I guess the Democratic party is actually more representative of the country as a whole.
America’s Changing Religious Identity ...
[...] White evangelical Protestants and Mormons are the most conservative religious groups in the country. More than six in ten (62%) white evangelical Protestants and a majority (57%) of Mormons identify as politically conservative. Liberals make up only 12% and 15%, respectively, of these religious traditions. White mainline Protestants also lean more conservative than liberal (38% vs. 25%, respectively), while white Catholics are about twice as likely to identify as conservative than liberal (42% vs. 22%, respectively).
There is wide variation in the political ideology of nonwhite Christian groups. Despite their strong Democratic leanings, black Protestants are about as likely to be conservative (30%) as they are to be liberal (29%). Similarly, Hispanic Protestants are about equally as likely to identify as conservative (33%) and liberal (29%). Hispanic Protestants are much more likely to be conservative than they are to be liberal (41% vs. 23%, respectively).
Non-Christian communities are more liberal leaning. Close to half of Jews (45%), Buddhists (48%), and Hindus (45%) identify as liberal; significantly fewer Jews (27%), Buddhists (17%), and Hindus (16%) identify as conservative. Muslims are also more likely to identify as liberal (38%) than they are to identify as conservative (20%). Religiously unaffiliated Americans also lean liberal in their politics. More than four in ten (43%) identify as liberal, while 21% are conservative ....
Maybe this explains why I don't really fit in the Catholic church ... there are liberal Catholic Democrats, but they're thin on the ground and I've only met a few.
America’s Changing Religious Identity ...
[...] White evangelical Protestants and Mormons are the most conservative religious groups in the country. More than six in ten (62%) white evangelical Protestants and a majority (57%) of Mormons identify as politically conservative. Liberals make up only 12% and 15%, respectively, of these religious traditions. White mainline Protestants also lean more conservative than liberal (38% vs. 25%, respectively), while white Catholics are about twice as likely to identify as conservative than liberal (42% vs. 22%, respectively).
There is wide variation in the political ideology of nonwhite Christian groups. Despite their strong Democratic leanings, black Protestants are about as likely to be conservative (30%) as they are to be liberal (29%). Similarly, Hispanic Protestants are about equally as likely to identify as conservative (33%) and liberal (29%). Hispanic Protestants are much more likely to be conservative than they are to be liberal (41% vs. 23%, respectively).
Non-Christian communities are more liberal leaning. Close to half of Jews (45%), Buddhists (48%), and Hindus (45%) identify as liberal; significantly fewer Jews (27%), Buddhists (17%), and Hindus (16%) identify as conservative. Muslims are also more likely to identify as liberal (38%) than they are to identify as conservative (20%). Religiously unaffiliated Americans also lean liberal in their politics. More than four in ten (43%) identify as liberal, while 21% are conservative ....
Maybe this explains why I don't really fit in the Catholic church ... there are liberal Catholic Democrats, but they're thin on the ground and I've only met a few.
posted by crystal | 10:16 AM
2 Comments:
It's funny how the pendulum swings. Back when I was growing up, Catholics were more likely to be Democrats. Kennedy getting elected was a big victory, breaking the glass ceiling. My grandma thought it was great. My parents didn't like the Kennedy's, they thought they were no better than they ought to be. Which they weren't, but still better than some of the politicians today.
Hi Katherine. I think the church in the US has become more conservative over the years. When Kennedy ran, he made a point of saying he would not make decisions based on religion, and John Courtney Murray SJ helped him craft a kind of religious freedom stance that is the very opposite of the religious freedom stance of the present US bishops. And think of the outcry from bishops' conferences and theologians against Humanae Vitae in the 60s - now most of them promote it. Help - we're devolving ;)
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