CNA Staff, Oct 19, 2020 / 04:20 pm (CNA).- A poll released this week has found that Catholics from both major political parties said they want candidates to support religious freedom and oppose taxpayer funding of abortion, while they identified the economy and the coronavirus pandemic as major concerns leading up to the election.
The poll found that Catholic likely voters, divided mostly along party lines, favor the election of Joe Biden over President Donald Trump. Biden’s lead among Catholic voters narrowed in several swing states, and among Catholics who attend Mass weekly.
Overall, 78% said they were more likely to support candidates who protect religious freedom for people of faith. This included majorities of both men and women, as well as majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, and majorities of every age range, geographic region, and race surveyed.
At least 3 in 4 Catholics – regardless of how frequently they attend Mass – said that they are more likely to favor candidates who support religious freedom.
Conducted Oct. 5-11 by RealClear Opinion Research in partnership with EWTN News, the poll surveyed 1,490 likely voters who self-identify as Catholic.
Asked about the upcoming presidential election, respondents overall favored Biden over Trump 52% to 40%. These numbers are virtually unchanged from a previous poll conducted by RealClear Opinion Research in partnership with EWTN News in late August and early September.
In the October poll, 90% of Republican respondents favored Trump, and 92% of Democratic respondents favored Biden. Independents preferred Biden over Trump 44%-34%, with 23% saying they are undecided.
The gap between the candidates narrows significantly in the swing states of Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. In those states Biden leads by four points (48% to 44%), which is within the poll’s margin of error.
Among weekly Mass attendees, Biden’s lead in the poll narrows to six points, 48%-42%.
Catholic likely voters who say they accept everything the Church teaches told pollsters they are more likely to vote for Trump over Biden 56%-38%, the poll found.
Catholics who say they believe all of the Church’s teachings also prefer Trump’s policies, 55%-39%. Among all Catholic voters, however, Biden outpaces Trump when it comes to the preference of a candidate’s policies; 53% of Catholic likely voters prefer Biden’s policies, while 41% prefer Trump’s and 5% “don’t know.”
Biden also outperforms Trump on the question of temperament; one-third of Catholics polled said they preferred Trump’s temperament, with almost 6 in 10 saying that they preferred Biden’s temperament. Female Catholic voters and Hispanic Catholics said they preferred Biden’s temperament by a 33-point margin and a 52-point margin, respectively.
On the question of temperament, those who say they accept everything the Church teaches prefer Trump by one point.
When considering issues in light of the upcoming presidential election, 95% of respondents said they are concerned about the economy, and 92% said they are concerned about health care.
In addition, 89% said the coronavirus pandemic concerns them, 83% said the same about civil unrest, 81% about Supreme Court appointments and 77% about race relations. Abortion and religious freedom were each listed as an issue of concern by 66% of respondents.
A majority of respondents said the following were major concerns: economy and jobs (73%), coronavirus (68%), health care (67%) and civil unrest (53%).
Sixty percent said they are less likely to support a candidate who supports abortion at any time in a pregnancy, while 28% said they are more likely to support such a candidate.
Fifty-two percent said they are less likely to support a candidate who favors taxpayer funding of abortion in the U.S., compared to 34% who said they would be more likely to support such a candidate.
Women showed more opposition than men did to candidates supporting abortion throughout an entire pregnancy, as well as to taxpayer funding of abortion. Weekly Mass attendees showed more opposition to candidates holding these positions than less frequent Mass attendees did.
Respondents were more closely split on immigration, with 47% saying they would prefer a candidate who supports expanding immigration to the U.S., and 41% saying they are less likely to support a candidate who holds this position.
Younger Catholics are more likely to favor candidates who want to expand immigration than older Catholics are, and Hispanic respondents are more likely to favor these candidates than white or Black respondents are.
Asked their view on candidates who want to require Catholic organizations to provide insurance coverage including contraception and abortion, 38% said they are more likely to support such a candidate, while 42% said they are less likely. Twenty percent said they were unsure.
Forty-five percent of poll participants said they believe Roe v. Wade should be upheld, while 25% said it should be reversed and abortion should be ruled unconstitutional. Eighteen percent said the issue should be returned to the states, and 13% said they were unsure.
Men and women answered almost identically in their opinions on Roe v. Wade. Black respondents were about twice as likely to say abortion should be ruled unconstitutional as white and Hispanic respondents were.
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“Fifty-two percent said they are less likely to support a candidate who favors taxpayer funding of abortion in the U.S., compared to 34% who said they would be more likely to support such a candidate…Forty-five percent of poll participants said they believe Roe v. Wade should be upheld, while 25% said it should be reversed and abortion should be ruled unconstitutional.”
Clearly 34-45% of “self-identified Catholics” aren’t Catholic.
This shows you how badly catechized Catholics really are and how a large proportion of Catholics are not even Catholic in their hearts.
They simply follow the Church leadership which is solidly entrenched in the Democratic party, notwithstanding its anti-Catholic positions.
I look at these polls as essentially useless. There is a vast difference in attitudes between those that attend church regularly and those that are Catholics in Name Only (CINOs). Biden is a classic CINO, so figure most CINOs will vote for him, demonstrating their continuing support of abortion.
Polls are answered according to the way the questions are propounded. If framed in a different way they often have different results which really make them unreliable. We have seen many times where the results of an election are contrary to the polls.Be that as it may,Catholics generally follow the leftist leadership in the Church which is why they supported Obama in both elections.
I feel that many Catholics, like my family, support the Hyde Amendment. No government funding for abortions unless it is clinically determined to save the mother’s health and life. I want to believe that Joe Biden takes that position as well.
Trump is a disaster and is unqualified to be president. Catholic parishioners who offer support for Trump with his disgraceful performances at rallies that defy CDC rules exposing the large crowd to the dangerous COVID virus redefine compartmentalization. He knew about the virus in early in 2020 and refused to inform the public resulting in the deaths of more than 220,000 unwitting and innocent souls. Trump calls Biden’s family “criminals”. He calls Dr. Fauci, a world renowned scientist, a “disaster”. Biden largely ignores his rantings.
“I want to believe that Joe Biden takes that position as well.”
He doesn’t, and “wanting to believe” doesn’t make it true.
He did support it – until he flip-flopped wildly last year, because his left-wing supporters considered that supporting it made him “unfit to lead.” (Just do an online search for biden hyde amendment and you can read all about it). In other words, saving babies from being butchered is a lot less important to him than getting elected is.
“unless it is clinically determined to save the mother’s health and life.”
That is not the Catholic standard.
“Trump is a disaster and is unqualified to be president.”
Sez you. He is quite qualified: he meets all the Constitutional requirements, and he was elected.
“Catholic parishioners who offer support for Trump with his disgraceful performances at rallies that defy CDC rules exposing the large crowd to the dangerous COVID virus redefine compartmentalization.”
Strange that I haven’t seen you complaining about the left-wing mob scenes and protests which defy CDC rules. Let’s hope that if and when they come up with a coronavirus vaccine they also come up with one that cures TDS; you can volunteer to be among the first to receive it.
“He knew about the virus in early in 2020 and refused to inform the public resulting in the deaths of more than 220,000 unwitting and innocent souls.”
What unmmitigated tripe. He is not responsible for “the deaths of more than 220,000 unwitting and innocent souls.” What country in the world has been able to avoid any deaths? None. There isn’t a leader in the world who was doing much more than guessing what might work; the experts didn’t know and neither did anybody else.
“Trump calls Biden’s family “criminals”.”
Given the evidence that is coming out about the actions of Hunter Biden in particular, President Trump seems to be quite accurate in his estimation of the Bidens. Or do you think it’s perfectly okay to sell access to the Vice-President of the United States?
“He calls Dr. Fauci, a world renowned scientist, a “disaster”.”
Oh, the horror, the horror!
“Biden largely ignores his rantings.”
Yeah, makes it convenient – by ignoring the accusations, he can refrain from responding to the evidence, and hope that, with the help of Facebook, Twitter, Google, and the mainstream media, it will all be buried and forgotten.
morganB you are sounding like a deranged broken record again! Your obsession with Trump is pathological at this point. Fauci is a liar and a partisan hack. The hatred, self-righteousness, and bitterness repeatedly demonstrated in your posts is many things, but it is certainly not Catholic.
Devout Catholics do not support the Hyde Amendment. They are more likely to imitate St. Gianna Molla. Look her up.
Trump has advanced the pro-life cause immensely, as has Mike Pence. His positions align more with Catholic teachings than Biden’s.
Biden’s family has had some shady dealings. Burisma, anybody? Fauci is disaster; he only sees life through the lens of his profession. His constant hopeless, gloom and doom, Chicken Little sky is falling mentality is rapidly becoming an eye roll. Biden ignores Trump’s rantings? Most likely he can’t remember them, much less cohesively respond to them.
Trump 2020!
I won’t say who I am voting for, but I will say what I am voting for:
I’m voting for life from conception to natural death.
I’m voting for the sanctity of marriage.
I’m voting for law enforcement.
I’m voting for religious freedom.
I’m voting for free speech.
I could go on, but it might give away who I am voting for.
Morgan,
200 thousand deaths are tragic but represent just a tenth of the deaths predicted back in March. We were told by the NHS the death toll could be 2 million or even more.
So, we’ve done rather well. At least in comparison with where we feared we’d be today.
If you look at the number of abortions per day in comparison to the number of purported COVID fatalities, you would realize the only pandemic: the daily count of murders inside a mother’s womb.
Any man who supports the butchering of babies is completely unqualified for any leadership position in any elected capacity.
I will pray that you and your family might be converted and vote for the only possibly-winning candidate who supports the right to life: Donald Trump. I will further pray that you take to heart the fact that voting for a pro-abortion candidate is a mortal sin and think long and hard about the babies when you decide for whom to vote. You KNOW the Truth: choose life, your life depends on it.
unless it is clinically determined to save the mother’s health and life.
Determined by whom; Kermit Gosnell, Warren Hern, George Cartwright, Margaret Sanger, morganB, …?
“There are no conceivable clinical situations today where abortion is necessary to save the life of the mother. In fact, if her health is threatened and an abortion is performed, the abortion increases risks the mother will incur regarding her health.”
—Dr. Bernard Nathanson, American Bioethics Advisory Commission
I want to believe that Joe Biden takes that position as well.
The reality of Biden’s NARAL rating notwithstanding.
resulting in the deaths of more than 220,000 unwitting and innocent souls.
Your TDS is preventing you from learning the facts. I’d wager that you have no contempt for the behavior of your comrade Nancy Pelosi.
Pelosi: No Regrets About Downplaying Coronavirus Threat
CDC: Coronavirus Fatality Rate 0.26%, 8-15x Lower than Estimates
Spend more time praying for the grace to see the continuing error of your rationalization of sin and less time publicly flaunting same.
All one needs to remember is the Obama/Biden visits to Notre Dame and Georgetown in the Spring of 2009 and the “surrender” of President Jenkins and President DeGioia to these devils disciples to pontificate evil at their universities.
Temperament?? Senility is not the same as temperament.I have always understood that someone who helped another commit a sin is guilty of that same sin, like being an accessory to a crime. Abortion is murder, not a civil right. Enough said.Its clear that Catholics who vote for Biden, who has been refused Communion for his views, are not being honest with themselves. They are no more Catholic than Joe Biden. That he attempts to Trade on his supposed Catholicism is disgusting. If you dont like following the rules of the Catholic church, no one is preventing you from leaving. It’s your loss. A smaller but more faithful congregation might not be the worst alternative in the world. At least the word Catholic would mean something again.
Unfortunately since Roe VS Wade the Church leaders have looked the other way, while millions of babies were aborted. Catholic politicians supporting abortion, via pro choice rhetoric, were and still are seldom admonished by the Church. While technically the Church calls abortion murder, it looks the other way. There is no walking the talk in the Church, so it is no problem for the Bidens to trade on the Catholic faith. Who in the Church really cares.
Sometimes President Trump is his own enemy. Yes he is crass yet his policies are far better than the Democrats. We have energy independence right now, Biden-Harris will have us importing oil in less than 2 seconds. Candidate Biden has said he will again try to enforce ACA and that means that the Little Sisters of the Poor will be back in court. I do not see Mr. Biden as supporting religious freedoms. Look at the college campuses. The majority of them refuse to allow conservative guest speakers. Therefore, stifling free speech. Have any of you seen diners harassed just having a meal? I have and who are doing the harassing, the Democrats. This type of behavior routine for communistic and socialist countries.
I’ve often thought that this country would be governed more in line with Catholic teaching if Catholics weren’t allowed to vote or hold office.