This interactive graphic summarizes the voting preferences of major religious groups, drawing on data from the latest survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press among registered voters reached on landlines and cell phones.
A recent survey finds Latino Catholic voters strongly favor Obama, while Latino evangelical Protestants are more closely divided in their support for Obama and Romney. The survey also finds rising support for same-sex marriage among Latinos.
Latino registered voters prefer President Barack Obama over Republican challenger Mitt Romney by 69% to 21% and express growing satisfaction with the direction of the nation and the state of their personal finances but are somewhat less certain than non-Hispanics that they will vote in this election, according to a new nationwide survey of 1,765 Latinos.
Catholics are often identified as a major "swing" voting group in American politics. A new analysis shows that the only group of Catholics that has been divided in recent elections is white Catholics who identify as political moderates.
In a July 2012 Pew Research Center survey, two-thirds of American adults say churches and other houses of worship should not come out in favor of one candidate over another during political elections.
During every election cycle, many churches and other religious groups find themselves wondering what role, if any, they can play in the political process. "Preaching Politics From the Pulpit" explains the IRS limits on political activity by nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations. An accompanying graphic shows that Americans continue to be wary of church involvement in partisan politics.
Due to their ongoing population growth, Latinos comprise a greater share of the nation’s eligible voters than they did just a few years ago—11.0% this year, up from 9.5% in 2008 and 8.2% in 2004. However, the turnout rate of eligible Latino voters has historically lagged that of whites and blacks by substantial margins.