Among US voters, Catholic party affiliations match those of overall population
April 10, 2015
In a study of the religious and political affiliations of American voters, Pew Research has found that Evangelical Protestants are moving steadily toward the Republican party, while Catholics and mainline Protestants fall roughly in line with the overall population.
Just over two-thirds of Evangelicals—68%—identify with the Republican party, Pew found; that figure has risen 10% over the past eight years. Just 22% of Evangelicals have Democratic leanings—a drop of 9% in eight years.
Among Catholics, 48% identify with the Democratic party, and 40% with the Republican party; those figures closely match the split in the overall population. Among non-Hispanic white Catholics, Republicans have the edge (50-41%), while Hispanic Catholics show strong Democratic leanings (58-25%). Those figures, too, are roughly the same as the party preferences of the overall population.
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Posted by: Randal Mandock -
Apr. 11, 2015 1:31 AM ET USA
I commented yesterday about how Western bishops have led Catholics to be both in the world and of the world. Check the statistics and see how little Catholic affiliation has to do with standing apart from the world. We are called to be a sacred people; yet many of us get along with the world just fine as it is. The choice of a political party is a prudential decision. Unfortunately there is no national or even local political party for Catholics to call their home. Democrat or Democrat light?
