Two polls conducted in December 2019 highlight trends of how Catholics, as well as religious Americans more broadly, envision the role of faith in American public life. The surveys, collected by partnerships of the Associated Press, the University of Chicago’s NORC (formerly the National Opinion Research Center), EWTN News, and RealClear Opinion Research, catalog numerous correlations between various policy positions and political outlooks and various Christian denominations, as well as their contrast with opinions of the American public at large.
Much of the news coverage surrounding the AP-NORC poll centered around the substantial distinctions in the responses of white evangelical Protestants regarding the role of religion to influence political decisions. Among this population, most believe that religion should have more influence on government policies than is currently the case, and they tend to have more conservative views on policy matters than other Americans. In the wake of increasing scrutiny resulting from the publishing of an editorial in favor of impeaching the president by the evangelical magazine Christianity Today, the AP-NORC poll suggests not only that white evangelicals consider their beliefs to correspond with those of President Trump, but that these preferences are, and ought to be, influenced by faith. Among the denominational demographics surveyed in the poll (white evangelical Christians, Catholics, other Protestants, other religion, and no religion), only the former indicated a positive opinion of President Trump’s job performance, with an overwhelming 79% in support.
In light of this amply-publicized division among American Christians, it is helpful to consider the same survey’s results regarding Catholic attitudes. Catholics are generally understood as straddling the American political divide, with relatively equal distributions in their voting preferences in most recent American elections. This sentiment, or insofar as it can be judged by approval or disapproval of the incumbent president’s job performance, seems is reflected by the AP-NORC poll, with 45% holding a favorable view, and 55% viewing his performance disapprovingly.
Catholics, however, distinguished themselves from the traditional American partisan divides in several hot-button areas. Take abortion for example. Catholics registered with 45% in support of making abortion illegal, with minimal exceptions. While not as high as the 67% support among white evangelical Protestants, Catholic approval is higher than the remainder of individuals with other Protestant, non-religious, or non-Christian identities. Differences can also be seen in LGBT issues. Prohibiting discrimination against LGBT individuals garnered 58% support among Catholics, a significantly higher number than evangelicals. Catholics also indicated support for policies separating parents and children at the border at a rate of 27%.
These results seem largely consistent with those of an EWTN survey of US registered voters, in which, partnering with RealClear Opinion Research, the poll, acknowledged an oversampling of Catholics. In addition to a variety of questions ranging from voting preferences to lifestyle choices, the survey included several questions that addressed similar themes to the AP-NORC poll, asking participants about the changing role of religion in American society.
Regarding these questions on religious values, Catholic responses displayed little to no statistically significant deviation from that of the general population. A majority of Americans generally agreed on the importance of religion in public life. Roughly 70% of Catholics, as well as the broader American public, agree that the public is becoming less tolerant of religion in America today, and about 60% of both demographics agree that “religious values should play a more important role in our society.”
Opinion polls are only an instantaneous numerical reflection of reactions to a carefully chosen set of written questions. However, according to EWTN, they help to gauge the interests and principles of the American public, especially before a pivotal election season.
Featured image courtesy of Tim Evanson via Flickr
- Boston College Tree Stump Returns to Catholic Roots: Strategically Planning Catholic Art Expansion on Campus - April 30, 2021
- Encounters: Inspiration & Conversion on View in Carney Hall - March 26, 2021
- Angels Unawares: An Interview with Melodie Wyttenbach - November 26, 2020