Zogby International Post-Election Poll on Religious Values and Voting

This poll was sponsored by the Center for American Progress, Pax Christi USA, and Res Publica. It was conducted by Zogby International following the election and includes more than 10,000 voters nationwide.

I. Voters say America's urgent moral issues are peace, poverty, and greed.

• While exit polls have been interpreted as saying that 22% of the electorate cast their votes based on abortion and gay marriage, a more in-depth analysis shows that most voters are influenced by a broader set of values.
• When voters were asked to list the moral issue that most affected their vote, the Iraq war topped the list (42% of voters) - more than tripling the number who chose abortion (13%) or gay marriage (9%). More than half of Kerry voters cited the Iraq war as the most influential moral issue, and over 14% chose poverty.
• When asked to choose the most urgent moral crisis facing America, voters chose 'greed and materialism' (33%) and "poverty and economic justice" (31%) twice as often as abortion (16%) and same sex marriage (12%). Of Kerry voters, 96% chose greed or poverty, while abortion topped the list for Bush voters.
• On the question of the greatest moral crisis, 31% of Catholics chose poverty and 31% greed, while only 20% chose abortion, and 11% same-sex marriage.
• When asked to cite the greatest threat to marriage, 31% of voters cited infidelity, 26% cited rising financial pressures, and 22% same sex marriage.

II. Progressive religious groups close "God Gap" with moderate and liberal voters.

• Progressive religious groups reached 38% of voters. While this is about half as many as the religious right reached (71%), it is a major increase over recent years.
• Conservative religious groups turned off as many voters as they recruited. Half of all voters said that messages from religious groups did not affect their vote, but twice as many voters said religious right groups made them more likely to vote for Kerry (33%) as for Bush (16%). Over 68% of Kerry voters indicated that religious right groups made them less likely to vote for Bush.
• Liberal groups, on the other hand, were twice as likely to make voters support Kerry (30% of voters) as for Bush (18%).
• Catholic conservative groups were more likely to make people vote for Kerry (25% of voters) as for Bush (19%). In contrast, messages from progressive Catholic groups were more than twice as likely to make people vote for Kerry (26%) as for Bush (12%).

III. Pursuing peace and justice, not using religious rhetoric, is the way for Democrats to reclaim moral leadership

• Non-Kerry voters were asked whether they would have been more likely to vote for Kerry if he spoke more about his faith, and 92% said no. The rest split between positive and negative effects.
• If progressives want to show moral leadership, they should speak to issues of peace, poverty, and greed - all of which concern moderate and liberal voters.
• Half of voters also felt that Bush was likely to put the interests of big corporations ahead of moral values (only 31% felt that way for Kerry). That is another area Democrats might consider providing moral leadership.