A new study by Pew Research Center found that religion does not play a major role in how most U.S. citizens vote in elections. The survey, conducted in May among 8,937 adults, shows that 56% of Americans say religion shapes how they vote “a little” or “not at all,” while only 25% say it shapes how they vote “a great deal” or “quite a bit.” 18% fall somewhere in the middle. Compared with how religion shapes their vote, Americans are more than twice as likely to say religion has a significant impact on the way they treat other people (59%) and how they think about morality (56%).
Catholic respondents hold similar views to those of the general population, with 24% saying religion affects their voting patterns “a great deal” or “quite a bit,” 22% saying “some,” and 54% answering “a little” or “not at all.” According to the report, white evangelical Christians are the group that is most likely to say religion plays an important role in shaping how they vote (51%).
In an interview with the Catholic News Agency, Susan Hanssen, a professor of history at the University of Dallas, described the findings as “striking,” since one would expect most people to vote somewhat in accordance with their religious beliefs: “This follows what we know to be true about people who say grace before meals. People either always say grace before meals and vote according to their religious beliefs, or they never say grace before meals and do not vote according to religious beliefs. Very few people only say grace every once in a while, and only consider God every once in a while voting. It seems to be a kind of all or nothing thing with God.”
The full report by Pew Research Center is available here.