Pew Poll Shows Most Protestants and Catholics Opposing Obama

on November 4, 2012

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A new Pew Research Center poll, the last before the election, shows majorities of evangelicals, Mainline Protestants, and Roman Catholics supporting Mitt Romney.

White evangelicals support Romney over Barack Obama by 78 percent to 16 percent, about equaling George W. Bush’s record evangelical support in 2004, which some believed was the margin of victory. White Mainline Protestants, though from more liberal denominations, support Romney by 52 to 41. Total Roman Catholics favor Romney by 49 to 47. White Catholics favor Romney by 55 to 41. Weekly church goers support Romney by 52 to 40.

Black Protestants favor Obama by 93 to 3 percent. Religiously unaffiliated favor Obama by 66 to 24. Pew did not offer Hispanic numbers in this poll.

Separately, Pew has pegged white evangelicals as 19 percent of Americans, white Mainline Protestants at 15 percent, total Catholics at 22 percent, black Protestants at 8 percent, and the unaffiliated at just under 20 percent.

The Pew poll showed Obama slightly ahead although within the margin of error. Can he win with majorities of both Protestants and Catholics voting against him? It would be an historical first for any presidential candidate.

Here is the poll, with religious data on page 9.

  1. Comment by segmation on November 6, 2012 at 12:32 am

    Does your Pew Poll mean only Protestants and Catholics vote and no other religions? I am so confused.

  2. Comment by theird on November 6, 2012 at 10:05 am

    Thanks for the comment. Pew’s latest research looked at these two groups. They have conducted several surveys looking at religion and public life in the past. You can find more information at http://www.pewforum.org/.

  3. Pingback by Obama and the Catholic vote « just telling it as it is on November 15, 2012 at 3:37 pm

    […] Pew Poll Shows Most Protestants and Catholics Opposing Obama (juicyecumenism.com) […]

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