Survey Shows Religious Polarization in U.S.

By AFA Journal
April 4, 2005

(AgapePress) - The nation appears to be split along religious lines -- even among faith traditions -- according to a recent poll sponsored by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

The polling data came from the Fourth National Survey of Religion and Politics, in November and December 2004 by the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron.

"Both President Bush and Sen. Kerry benefited from strong support among key religious constituencies," said Dr. John Green, director of the Bliss Institute, in analyzing Election 2004. "Yet there was strong polarization not only between different religions as was common in the past, but also within the major religious traditions, a relatively new phenomenon."

In fact, the survey showed a stark ideological split between conservative and liberal Christians -- or traditionalist and modernist, as the Pew Forum called them. For example, while traditionalist evangelical Protestants were solidly for Bush by an 88 percent to12 percent margin, modernist evangelical Protestants went for Kerry, although by a narrower 52 percent to 48 percent gap. The same was true among Catholics: traditionalists went strongly for Bush (72%-28%), while modernist Catholics were solidly in Kerry’s corner (69%-31%).

Not only was Bush support among these traditionalists extremely strong in 2004, but according to the study, more of them went to the polls in the most recent election. Seven percent more traditionalist evangelical Protestants voted in 2004 than in 2000, and traditionalist Catholic turnout was larger too -- 12 percent more in 2004.



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