The Religion Gap(s)

Mark Silk

Director

Leonard E. Greenberg Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life

Trinity College

Religion and Gender Gaps 1936-2004

2000 Presidential Vote by Attendance and Gender

Bush Gore

Regular Attending Men 74% 26%

Regular Attending Women 51% 49%

Less Regular Attending Men 51% 49%

Less Regular Attending Women 26% 74%

“Regular attenders” are defined as reported “more than weekly” plus “once a week” workship attendance.

Source: Third National Survey of Religion and Politics, University of Akron (weighted post-election N=3,000)

Religion and Congressional Vote

2002 2000

Rep Dem Other Rep Dem OtherFrequent attending 82% 16 2 85% 14 1

White “religious right”

Frequent attending 67 31 2 60 37 3

White Protestants

Less attending 66 33 1 61 36 4

White “religious right”

Other white Christians 62 35 3 54 42 4

Latino Protestants 56 42 2 48 50 2

Less attending

White Protestants 55 43 2 54 44 2

Frequent attending 53 45 2 54 42 1

White Catholics

ENTIRE ELECTORATE 51 46 3 49 48 3

Religion and Congressional Vote

2002 2000

Rep Dem Other Rep Dem Other

ENTIRE ELECTORATE 51% 46 3 49 48 3

Less attending 44 53 3 49 48 3

White Catholics

Other Non-Christians 36 56 8 35 61 4

Secular 33 63 4 32 63 5

Latino Catholics 28 71 <1 30 67 3

Jews 35 62 3 27 72 1

Black Protestants 10 89 1 12 88 <1

*The 2002 VNS exit poll had 17,872 cases over all, of which 8,188 were asked the religion questions: the 2000 VNS exit poll had 13,259 cases overall, and the religion items were available for 9,246 cases. In both surveys, the margin of error was less than 2 percent.

Religious Groups and the 2002 Elections: Estimated Turnout, Republican vote and Proportion of GOP Coalition

Rep. Vote Vote Turnout GOP Coalition

Non-South South Non-South South Non-South South

Protestants:White EvangelicalHigh church attending 75% 74 43 51 21 41

Low church attending 60 51 27 19 6 6

White Mainline

High church attending 51 65 45 46 8 11

Low church attending 51 59 38 40 19 14

Black Protestants 10 6 32 41 1 1

Religious Groups and the 2002 Elections: Estimated Turnout, Republican vote and Proportion of GOP Coalition

Rep. Vote Vote Turnout GOP Coalition

Non-South South Non-South South Non-South South

Catholics:White CatholicsHigh church attending 58% 68 45 49 15 9

Low church attending 51 67 45 28 14 4

Hispanic Catholics 27 39 36 7 2 2

Jews: 22 <1 62 <1 1 <1

Seculars: 35 42 28 39 10 10

Source: Pew Research Center, 2002 Elections Weekend Poll, N=2950