THEOLOGICAL
VIEWS, PRACTICES and COMMITMENT
73%
(highest)
of
Pentecostal/Foursquare
believers
strongly affirm that
Christ
was
sinless
on
earth, with
Catholics,
Lutherans
and
Methodists
being
tied at
33%,
and the lowest being among
Episcopalians
with
just
28%
http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/53
94.4%
of
Evangelical
Protestants
and
84.9%
of
Catholics
believe
that
Jesus
is the son of God. 42.1%
of
the former and
46.1%
of
the latter say they pray once a day or more.
http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/33304.pdf
47.8%
of the
Evangelicals
and 11.8%
of Catholics
affirm
the Bible
is Literally true.
6.5%
of the
former and 19.8%
of the latter see
it as an ancient book of history and legends.
^
42.1%
of
Evangelical
Protestants and
7.1%
of Catholics
Read Scripture
weekly or more. ^
64%
of
those in Assemblies
of God churches
(versus only 9%
of
Catholics)
strongly DISAGREE
that
if a person is generally good, or does enough good things for
others they will earn a place in
Heaven
[salvation
on
the basis of merit].
^
56%
of
Assemblies
of God (versus
17%
Catholics)
Christians strongly DISAGREE
that
Satan
is
just a symbol of evil [rather than a real being].
^
Catholics
and Mainline Protestants
tend more towards belief in a more Distant
God. Baylor
Institute for Studies of Religion - American Piety in the
21
Century
– September
2006
.
http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/33304.pdf
Evangelical
Protestants
and Black
Protestants
tend towards belief in a more Authoritarian God. ^
Thirty
percent
of
Protestants
listed
God
as
their
most
important connection (relationship)
versus
9%
of
Catholics.
Barna,
2008
http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/13-culture/44-americans-identify-their-most-important-relationships
Political
conservatives
were almost three times as likely as political liberals
to identify God
as their most important relationship
(33% vs. 12%,
respectively). ^
About 56
percent of Evangelicals
currently say they're strongly
affiliated with their religion,
while only 35 percent of Catholics
say the same, and 4% lower than
mainline Protestants (devoutness of
Mainline Protestants
[distinct from evangelicals] fell to roughly 30
percent in the late 1970s to
late 1980s before gradually
climbing to 39 percent in 2010)
http://www.science20.com/print/972444
Bible
Reading:
the highest was 75%,
by those going to a
Pentecostal/Foursquare
church
who reported they had read
the Bible during
the past week (besides at church), while the
lowest
was
among Catholics
at
23%
^
Volunteer
church work
(during past 7
days): Assemblies of God
were highest at 30%,
with the lowest going to Catholics at 12%.
^
Donating
Money (during the last month):
Church of Christ
churches were the highest at 29%,
with Catholics
being the lowest at 12% ^
American
evangelicals
gave
four times as much money,
per person, to churches as did all other church donors
in 2001.
88 percent of
evangelicals
and 73
percent
of all Protestants donated to churches. John
Ronsvalle and Sylvia Ronsvalle, The State of Church Giving
through 2004:
Will We Will?
16th
ed. (Champaign, Ill.: Empty Tomb,
2006),12.
http://www.generousgiving.org/stats#
A
Catholic
survey reports that 4 percent
of US Catholics
described themselves as “very”
involved
in parish or religious
activities
other than attending Mass, and 11%
as “somewhat involved, and
64% as “not involved at all.”
Among weekly
(or more) attendees (approx 22%
of adult Catholics),
13%
were very”
involved, 29%
“somewhat
involved and 25%
not involved at all.”
http://cara.georgetown.edu/CARAServices/FRStats/devotionpractice.pdf
59%
of Catholics (and
80% of weekly attendees) reported they had a statue
or picture of Mary
on display in their home, but 48%
never pray the rosary.
By
denomination, 61%
of the those associated with an Assemblies
of God church said they had shared
their faith at least once during the past year, as did 61%
of those who attend a Pentecostal/Foursquare
church, and ending 14%
among Episcopalians
and just 10%
among Roman Catholics.
http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/54
25%
of
Evangelical
Christians
and 20%
of
other Protestants
and
7%
of
Catholics
said
the read the Bible on a daily basis.
44%
of
Catholics
said they rarely
or never read the Bible,
along
with only 7%
of
Evangelical
Christians
and
13%
of
other Protestants.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/lifestyle/general_lifestyle/december_2008/catholics_protestants_practice_faith_in_different_ways
91%
of Evangelical Christians
and 63% of
other Protestants and
25% of
Catholics consider
themselves to be born again; ^
44%
of Evangelical Christians reflect
at least daily on the meaning
of Scripture in their lives. 36%
of other Protestants and 22%
of Catholics do the same; ^
52%
of Evangelical Christians
have had a meaningful discussion
about their faith with a non-Christian
during the past month. 28%
of other Protestants
and 18%
of Catholics also
have held such a discussion. ^
68%
of
Evangelical
Christians
attend a regular
Bible Study
or participate in some other
small-group
activity.
47%
of
other Protestants
take
part in small groups related to their faith, along with
24%
of
Catholics.
^
Church
attendance [2001]:
69%
of
those associated with
Assembly
of God
churches,
and 66%
of
other
Pentecostal
churches
and 61%
of
those in
non-denominational
Protestant
churches were the most likely
to
have attended in the past week (which does to mean they always
do) .
However,
numbers from head
counts show
the actual rate
of
attendance
nationwide is
less
than
half
(around 18%) of
what the pollsters report, though some studies show attendance
at services as increasing.
http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/139575-7-startling-facts-an-up-close-look-at-church-attendance-in-america.html;
From
2000
to
2004
the
Catholic
Church
experienced an 11%
decrease in
its attendance percentage, followed by mainline
Protestant
churches
which saw a 10%
percentage
decline, while Evangelicals
experienced
the smallest drop at 1%.
http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/139575-7-startling-facts-an-up-close-look-at-church-attendance-in-america.html
Another
study found that a growing number of people are attending small
Christian groups,
with 24.5% of Americans
now saying their primary form of
spiritual nourishment is meeting with a small
group of 20 or less people
every week. ^
Church
attendance
[2002-2005]:
Evangelicals
at approx.
60
percent
showed
the highest percentage of those who reported
they
attended services weekly or almost
weekly,
with 30%
going more
than once a week.
Catholics
were
at 45
percent
(9%
more
than once a week), and Jews
15
percent.
Gallup
poll. between
2002
and
2005.
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20060418/weekly-attendance-highest-among-Evangelical-churches.htm
A
Catholic study reported that the
percentage of U.S. adult Catholics
who say they attended Mass
once a week or more (i.e., those attending every
week) was 24% in 2012.
http://cara.georgetown.edu/caraservices/requestedchurchstats.html
54
percent
of
Catholics
who
came of age before
Vatican
Two (10
percent
of
Catholics today) attend Mass weekly, compared to
23
percent
of
millennial
Catholics,
those born from 1979
to
1987.
http://blogs.thearda.com/trend/featured/counting-catholics-church-of-immigrants-poised-for-growth/
39
percent
of
Catholics
affirmed
not
attending church
is
a sin, versus 23
percent
of
Protestants.
Ellison
Research, March
11,
2008
http://ellisonresearch.com/releases/20080311.htm
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080312/study-behaviors-americans-consider-sinful.htm
Christian
church
attendance
is
between 1
½
and
2
times
higher in the South
and
the Midwest
than
it is in the West
and
the Northeast
[the
latter two have the highest percentage of Catholics].
http://www.theamericanchurch.org/facts/8.htm;
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2007/03/01/how-many-americans-attend-church-each
The
states with the most
frequent churchgoers
were
Mississippi, Alabama, S. Carolina, Louisiana, Utah Tennessee,
Arkansas, N. Carolina, Georgia, then Texas. The states with the
most
infrequent churchgoers were
Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Hawaii,
Oregon, Alaska, then Washington.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/125999/mississippians-go-church-most-vermonters-least.aspx
http://www.gallup.com/poll/22579/church-attendance-lowest-new-england-highest-south.aspx
Catholics'
responses to the questions that make up the 2004
Gallup
Index of Leading Religious Indicators show Catholics
lag
noticeably behind
Protestants
on
all but two of the survey items that make up the Index: belief
in God and church membership.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/14725/protestants-vs-catholics-whos-got-religion.aspx
Among
those who
converted
to
a Christian
denomination,
42%
of
of those to Roman
Catholicism,
43%
of
Episcopalian
converts,
44%
of
those to
Lutheranism,
48%
of
those to
Methodism,
50%
of
those to the
Presbyterian
church,
60%
of
Baptist
converts,
60%
of
Non-denominational
converts, and
73%
of
of converts to
Pentecostal
churches
reported they attend
services weekly.
http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=482
In
2011,
49%
of
Catholics
were
likely to attend church services [not necessarily weekly], down
from 59%
in
1991,
while 29%
were
unchurched,
up from 20%
in
1991,
and were 10 points less likely to volunteer
at
their church (down to only 9%).
http://www.barna.org/faith-spirituality/514-barna-study-of-religious-change-since-1991-shows-significant-changes-by-faith-group
Of
an estimated Catholic
population
in the United States of almost
78
million,
less
than
48
million attend
more
than once
yearly.
http://www.glenmary.org/rcms2010/
See
HERE
for
2001
church
attendance
(based
on adults who attended a church service in the past week) by
Denomination.
49%
of
evangelical
adults
fit the
charismatic
definition,
with 7%
of
Southern
Baptist
churches
and 6%
of
mainline
churches
being
charismatic,
according to their Senior Pastors,
9%
of
whom are
female
(same
as non-charismatic).
36%
of
all U.S.
Catholics,
and 22%
of
all
charismatics
in
the U.S. identify as
Catholic.
Barna
research, 2008
http://www.barna.org/congregations-articles/52-is-american-christianity-turning-charismatic
51%
of
all born
again Christians
are charismatic,
with 46%
of
all adults who attend a
Protestant
church
identifying with that. 16%
of
the country's white
Protestant congregations
are Pentecostal,
compared to 65%
of
the Protestant
churches
dominated by
African-Americans.
(Barna
research, 2008)
The
highest
percentage
of those who strongly agree they have a personal
responsibility
to
share
their faith
was
found among believers in
Pentecostal/Foursquare
churches
(73%)
http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/53
81%
of
Pentecostal/Foursquare
believers
strongly agree that the
Bible
is
totally accurate in all that it teaches , followed by
77%
of
Assemblies
of God believers,
and ending with 26%
of
Catholics
and
22%
of
Episcopalians.
^
The
percentage of
Catholics who
believed
the
Bible is
totally accurate
in
all of the principles
it
teaches
declined from
34% in
1991 to
26%
in
2011
http://www.barna.org/faith-spirituality/514-barna-study-of-religious-change-since-1991-shows-significant-changes-by-faith-group.
The
typical
Catholic
person
was
38%
less
likely than the average American to
read
the Bible;
67%
less
likely to attend a
Sunday
school
class;
20%
less
likely to share their
faith
in
Christ
with
someone who had different beliefs,
donated
about
17%
less
money
to
churches, and were
36%
less
likely to have an "active
faith,"
defined as reading the
Bible,
praying
and
attending
a church service
during
the prior week.
Catholics
were
also significantly less likely to believe that the Bible is
totally
accurate
in
all of the principles it teaches.
44%
of
Catholics
claimed
to be "absolutely
committed"
to their faith, compared to
54%
of
the entire adult population. However, Catholics were
16%
more
likely to attend a church
service
and
8%
more
likely to have
prayed
to
God during the prior week than the
average
American.
Barna
Reaearch, 2007, “Catholics Have Become Mainstream America”
http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/100
82%
of
Mainline
Churches,
77%
of
Catholics
and
53%
of
Evangelical
Churches
affirmed, "There is
MORE
than
one
true way to
interpret the teachings
of
my religion."
U.S.
Religious landscape survey; Copyright © 2008
The
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons#
Orthodox
(29%),
Mainline
Churches
(28%),
and Catholics
(27%)
led Christian Churches in affirming that the Scriptures
were
written by men and were not
the
word
of God, versus
just and 7%
of
Evangelical
Churches,
who instead rightly affirm its full
inspiration of
God.^
Catholics
broke
with
their Church's
teachings more
than most other groups, with just
six
out
of 10
Catholics
affirming that God is "a person with whom people can have a
relationship", and three in
10
describing
God as an "impersonal force."
2008
The
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons#
Only
33%
of
Catholics
strongly
affirmed that Christ
was sinless on
earth.
http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/53
A
1992
Catholic-funded
Gallup Poll found only
30%
of
American Catholics
affirmed:
"When receiving Holy Communion,
you are really and
truly
receiving the
Body
and
Blood,
Soul
and
Divinity
of
the Lord
Jesus
Christ,
under the appearance
of
bread and wine. Poll
of 519 American Catholics, 18 years or older, conducted from
December 10, 1991, to January 19, 1992,
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-79305248.html
Responding
to the questions on the
Roman
Catholic
Eucharist,
“Which of the following comes closest to what you believe
takes place at Mass: (1) The bread and wine are
changed
into
the body and blood of Christ, or (2) The bread and wine are
symbolic
reminders
of Christ? 63%
of
Roman
Catholics overall,
and 51%
of
weekly
attenders,
and
70%
of
all
Catholics
in
the age group
18
to
44
affirmed
the Roman
Catholic
Eucharist
is
a "symbolic
reminder"
of Jesus
[it
is, of His death],
indicating they do not believe it is really Jesus body and blood
[as
Rome erroneously
teaches].
New
York Times/CBS News poll, Apr.
21-23,
1994,
subsample of
446
Catholics,
MOE ±
5%
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1252/is_n2_v122/ai_16233123/pg_8/
1995 Commonweal Foundation
In
a survey by the Pew Forum,
55%
of
Catholics
affirmed
that
their church teaches that the bread
and
wine
in
their liturgy of the Lord's supper become
Christ’s
body and blood,
while
(41%)
said that the church teaches that the bread and wine are
symbols.
http://pewforum.org/Other-Beliefs-and-Practices/U-S-Religious-Knowledge-Survey.aspx
A
study by the Roper Center and commissioned
by
Catholic
World
Report reported
that 82%
of
Catholics who attend
Mass at least once a week agreed
with
the statement that "the
bread
and wine used
at Mass are actually transformed
into
the body
and blood of Christ."
. Catholic
World
Report; 1997 survey of 1,000 Catholic Americans by Roper Center
for Public Opinion Research at the University of Connecticut.
http://www.adoremus.org/397-Roper.html
A
Catholic polling
service reported that 57 percent
of adult
Catholics (and
91% of adult weekly
Mass attenders),
said their belief about the Eucharist
is best reflected by the statement “Jesus
Christ is really present in the
bread and wine of the Eucharist,”
[a statement which Lutherans
could assent to] versus to
43 percent who said their belief is
best reflected in the statement, “Bread
and wine are symbols of Jesus, but
Jesus is not really present.” Center
for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown
University, 2007, commissioned by the Department of
Communications of the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops (USCCB)
A
2008 Catholic commissioned survey
of adult Catholics reported
68%
of
Catholics
affirmed
you could be a good
Catholic
without
going to Mass
every
Sunday, and 55%
thought
of themselves as good
Catholics. 77%
of
Catholics
agreed
they were proud
to
be Catholic,
(85%
of
weekly attendees) and 61%
agreed
that sacraments
were
essential
to
their faith
(83%
of
weekly attendees).
2008
poll of 1,007 self-identified adult Catholics by the Center for
Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown
University; http://cara.georgetown.edu/beliefattitude.pdf
43%
of
Catholics
overall
(and
36%
of
weekly attendees) affirmed they look to Catholic
teachings
and
statements made the pope
and
bishops
to
form their conscience
on
what is morally
acceptable
.
^
36%
of
weekly
attendees
affirmed their Catholic
faith
was
the most
important
part
of their life, 39%
said
it was “among the most important.” ^
83%
of
Catholics
affirmed
that helping
those
in
need
was
important to their sense
of
what it means to be a Catholic;
79%
affirmed
the Eucharist
was,
73%
said
living according to Church teachings,
68%
said
devotion
to
Mary,
and 66%
said
attending Mass.
Catholics
in
the South
are
the most likely to say such things are “very
important.”
^
75%
of
surveyed adult
Catholics
said
they never doubted the Trinity,
68%
that
the Father
created
all
we know of the Universe,
73%
that
Christ
rose
from
the dead,
59%
that
there is a Hell,
and 44%
that
the pope
and
bishops
have
taken the place of Peter
and
the apostles.
^
Almost a
third of Catholics surveyed,
including 15 percent of highly
committed church members, said one
could be a good Catholic without
believing Jesus
rose from the dead.
http://blogs.thearda.com/trend/featured/counting-catholics-church-of-immigrants-poised-for-growth/
66%
of Catholics supported women's
ordination to the priesthood, and
73% approved
of the way John Paul II leads the church. Surveying
the Religious Landscape: Trends in U.S. Beliefs by George
Gallup, Jr. and D. Michael Lindsay (Morehouse Publishing, 1999).
Copyright © 2004
--
The Gallup Organization www.gallup.com
80%
of Catholics believe
it is possible to disagree with the pope on official positions
on morality and
still be a good Catholic.
Time/CNN nationwide poll of
1,000 adults,
conducted by Yankelovich Partners, Sept. 27-28, 1995; subsample
of 500 Catholics,
MOE ± 4.5%
77%
of
Catholics
polled
"believe a person can be a good
Catholic without
going to Mass every Sunday,
65
percent
believe
good Catholics can divorce
and
remarry, and 53
percent
believe
Catholics can have abortions
and
remain in good standing.
1999
poll
by the National Catholic
Reporter.
http://www.catholictradition.org/v2-bombs14b.htm
Comparing
Catholics and other Americans,
44% of Catholics
claimed to be "absolutely committed"
to their faith versus 54% of
the entire adult population, and donated
about 17% less
money to
churches; was 38%
less likely than the average American to
read the Bible; 67%
less likely to attend a Sunday
school class; 20% less
likely to share their faith
in Christ with someone who had different
beliefs; 24% less
likely to say their religious faith has greatly transformed
their life; and
were 36% less
likely to have an "active
faith," (defined as reading
the Bible, praying and attending a church service during the
prior week.) Yet Catholics were 16%
more likely than the norm to attend a
church service and 8%
more likely to have prayed
to God during the prior week. Catholics
Have Become Mainstream America, Barna research, July 9, 2007
http://www.barna.org/faith-spirituality/100-catholics-have-become-mainstream-america
TOC
MORAL
VIEWS AND BEHAVIORS
40%
Roman Catholics
vs. 41% Non-R.C.
see abortion
as "morally acceptable";
Sex between unmarried
couples: 67% vs. 57%;
Baby out of wedlock: 61%
vs. 52%; Homosexual
relations: 54% vs. 45%;
Gambling: 72% vs. 59%
http://www.gallup.com/poll/117154/Catholics-Similar-Mainstream-Abortion-Stem-Cells.aspx
Committed
Roman Catholics (church attendance weekly or almost) versus
Non-R.C. faithful church goers (see
the below as as morally acceptable):
Abortion:
24%
R.C.
vs. 19%
Non-R.C.;
Sex between unmarried
couples:
53%
vs.
30%;
Baby
out of wedlock: 48%
vs.
29%;
Homosexual
relations:
44%
vs.
21%;
Gambling:
67%
vs.
40%;
Divorce:
63
vs.
46%
^
Comparing
16 moral behaviors, Catholics
were less likely to say mean
things about people behind their
back, and tending to engage in recycling
more. However, they were also twice as
likely to view pornographic
content on the Internet, and were more prone to use profanity,
to gamble, and to buy
lottery tickets. ^
In
a survey asking whether one
approves
or rejects
or overall sees
little consequence (skeptical) to society regarding seven trends
on the family (More:
unmarried couples raising children; gay and lesbian couples
raising children; single women having children without a male
partner to help raise them; people living together without
getting married; mothers of young children working outside the
home; people of different races marrying each other; and more
women not ever having children),
42%
of all
Protestants
were
“Rejecters”
of the modern
trend, 35%
were
Skeptics,
and 23%
were
“Approvers.”
Among
Catholics,
27%
were
Rejecters,
34%
were
Approvers,
and 39%
were
Skeptics.
(Among non
religious, 10%
were
Rejecters,
48%
were
Approvers,
and 42%
were
Skeptics.)
Pew
forum, The Public Renders a Split Verdict On Changes in Family
Structure, February 16, 2011
http://pewsocialtrends.org/2011/02/16/the-public-renders-a-split-verdict-on-changes-in-family-structure/#prc_jump
50
percent
of
Protestants
affirmed
gambling
was
a sin,
versus
15
percent
of
Catholics;
that
getting
drunk
was
a sin:
63
percent
of
Protestants,
28
percent
of
Catholics; gossip:
70
percent
to
45
percent:
homosexual
activity
or sex:
72
percent
to
42
percent.
Ellison
Research, March 11, 2008
http://ellisonresearch.com/releases/20080311.htm
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080312/study-behaviors-americans-consider-sinful.htm
Combined
aggregate results from 9
surveys
conducted from
2001
through 2004
show
71%
of Protestants
(68%
of regular
church goers)
and 66%
of Catholics
(59%
of regular
Catholic
church-goers) support capital
punishment.
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/gallup-poll-who-supports-death-penalty
73
percent of Catholics
rejected Catholic teaching
artificial methods of birth
control. Catholic
World
Report; 1997 survey of 1,000 Catholic Americans by Roper Center
for Public Opinion Research at the University of Connecticut
Only
20 percent
strongly agreed
with the
Church teaching that only men may be
ordained. ^
Of
never-married adult
females, 25%
of
Evangelicals, 11%
of Catholics and
14% of
Mainline Protestants
professed never
to be have had sexual
relations. Countering
Conventional Wisdom: New Evidence on Religion and Contraceptive
Use, Guttmacher Institute, April. 2011
74%
of Evangelicals,
73% of Mainline
Protestants,
and 68%
of sexually active Catholics
women use birth control.
3% of
the Catholics
rely on natural
family planning.
Attendance
at religious services
and importance of religion
to daily life are largely unrelated to use of highly effective
contraceptive
methods. ^
88%
of Catholics
believe that they can practice artificial means of birth
control and still be considered
good Catholics. New
York Times/CBS News poll, Apr. 21-23, 1994, subsample of 446
Catholics, MOE ± 5%
98%
of self-identified Catholic women ages 15-44 who have ever had
sexual relations have used a method of contraception other than
natural family planning at some point in their lives. .”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/the-claim-that-98-percent-of-catholic-women-use-contraception-a-media-foul/2012/02/16/gIQAkPeqIR_blog.html?wprss=fact-checker
40%
of 18- to 29-year-old Catholics
said the church’s
“teachings on sexuality
and birth control are
out of date.”
http://www.barna.org/teens-next-gen-articles/528-six-reasons-young-christians-leave-church
59%
of all Catholic women of
childbearing age practice
contraception—a rate of usage
statistically equivalent to
that of the general population
(60%).
Calvin
Goldscheider and William D. Mosher, "Patterns of
Contraceptive Use in the United States:
58%
of Catholics
52%
if they
are voters) believe that employers
should
be required to provide their employees with health care plans
that cover
contraception;
50%
of white
Catholics
support
this requirement, versus 47%
who oppose
it,
along with 38%
of
white
evangelical Protestants
an 50%
of white
mainline Protestants.
Public
Religion Research Institute, February 2012
http://publicreligion.org/research/2012/02/january-tracking-poll-2012/
Catholic
women
have an abortion
rate
29
percent
higher
than Protestants.
Alan
Guttmacher Institute
http://www.catholicleague.org/research/Catholic_women_and_abortion.htm
26
percent of Catholics
(2007) polled
strongly agree with the Church's unequivocal position on
abortion Catholic
World Report; 2997 survey of
1,000 Catholic Americans by Roper Center for Public Opinion
Research at the University of Connecticut
46
percent of
Catholics who
say they attend mass weekly accept Church teaching on
abortion; 43
percent accept
the all-male priesthood; and
30 percent
see contraception as
morally wrong. ^
31%
of
faithful
Catholics (those who
attend church weekly, 2004)
say
abortion
should be legal either
in "many" or in "all" cases.
2004,
The Gallup Organization
Gallup Survey for Catholics
Speak Out: 802 Catholics, May 1992, MOE ± 4%
When
ask to choose, three-fourths
of
all
Protestant
pastors
surveyed
said [2009]
they are pro-life,
and 13
percent
said
they were pro-choice.
LifeWay
Research;
http://www.lifeway.com/ArticleView?storeId=10054&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&article=LifeWay-Research-protestant-pastors-share-views-on-gay-marriage-abortion
In
a 2010
LifeWay
Research survey
77
percent
of
American
Protestant
pastors
(57%
of
mainline
versus
87%
evangelical)
strongly
disagree
with
same-sex
marriage,
with 6%
percent
somewhat
disagreeing,
and 5%
being
somewhat
in
agreement
and
10
percent strongly
agreeing.
(5%
of
evangelical).
Only
3%
of
evangelical
pastors
(versus
11%
mainline)
somewhat agree
that
there is nothing
wrong with
homosexual
marriage.
11%
of
evangelical
pastors
(versus 30%
mainline)
somewhat
agree
that
homosexual
civil unions are
acceptable,
with 67%
of
the former
and
38%
of
the latter
strongly
disagreeing
with
homosexual
civil unions.
October
2010 LifeWay Research survey of 1,000 randomly selected
Protestant pastors.
http://www.lifeway.com/ArticleView?storeId=10054&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&article=LifeWay-Research-protestant-pastors-oppose-homosexual-marriage
A
2002
nationwide
poll of 1,854
priests in
the United
States and
Puerto
Rico reported
that 30%
of
Roman Catholic priests
described
themselves as Liberal,
28%
as
Conservative,
and 37%
as
Moderate
in
their Religious ideology. 53
percent
responded
that they thought it always was a sin
for
unmarried
people
to have sexual relations; 32
percent
that
is often was, and 9
percent
seldom/never.
However, nearly four
in 10 younger
priests in 2002
described
themselves as conservative,
and were more likely to regard as "always
a sin"
such acts as premarital sex,
abortion,
artificial birth
control,
homosexual
relations,
etc., and three-fourths said they were more religiously orthodox
than
their older
counterparts.
Los
Angeles Times (extensive) nationwide survey (2002).
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/resources/resource-files/reports/LAT-Priest-Survey.pdf
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_2_39/ai_94129129/pg_2
The
survey also found that 80%
of Roman
Catholic priests
referred to
themselves as “mostly”
heterosexual
in orientation,
with 67%
being
exclusively
heterosexual, 8%
leaning
toward
heterosexual, 5%
completely in
the middle,
and 6%
leaning
toward
homosexual
and 9%
saying they are
homosexual,
for a combined figure of 15%
on the
homosexual
class.
Among younger
priests
(those ordained
for 20 years or less) the figure was
23%.
^
One-third
of
surveyed priests said they “do not waver” from their
vow of celibacy,
while 47%
described
celibacy
as
“an ongoing journey” and 14%
said
they “do not always succeed in following” it. 2%
said
celibacy
is
not relevant to their priesthood and they do not observe it. not
celibate.
^
71
percent of
priests
responded that it always was wrong
for a woman to get an abortion,
19 percent
that it often was, and 4
percent seldom/never.
^
28
percent judged that is always was
sin for married couples to use artificial
birth control, 25 percent often,
40 percent never. ^
49
percent affirmed
that
it was always a sin to
engage in homosexual
behavior,
often, 25 percent; and never, 19 percent.
^
To
take
one's own life if
suffering from a debilitating disease: always, 59
percent;
often, 18
percent;
never, 17
percent.
^
15
percent of
the clergy polled listed themselves as "gay
or
on the homosexual
side."
Among younger priests 23 percent did so.
Los
Angeles Times (extensive) nationwide survey (2002).
http://www.bishop-accountability.org/resources/resource-files/reports/LAT-Priest-Survey.pdf
44
percent
of
the priests
said
"definitely" a
homosexual
subculture'--defined
as a `definite group of persons that has its own friendships,
social gatherings and vocabulary'--exists in their diocese or
religious order. ^
After
examining the official web sites of
244
Catholic
universities
and
colleges
in
America, the TFP Student Action found that 107 – or 43%
have
pro-homosexual
clubs.
TFP
Student Action Dec. 6. 2011;
studentaction.org/get-involved/online-petitions/pro-homosexual-clubs-at-107-catholic-colleges/print.html
39
percent
of
Roman
Catholics
and
79
percent
of
born-again,
evangelical
or
fundamentalist
American
Christians affirm that
homosexual
behavior
is sinful. LifeWay
(SBC) Research study, released Wednesday. 2008
LifeWay
Research study.
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080606/survey-americans-divided-on-homosexuality-as-sin.htm
79
percent
of
American
Jews,
58
percent
of
Catholics
and
56
percent
of
mainline
Protestants
favor
acceptance of
homosexuality,
versus
39
percent
of
members of historically black churches,
27
percent
of
Muslims and
26
percent
of
the
evangelical
Protestants.
U.S.
U.S.
Religious landscape survey; Copyright © 2008
The
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons#
56%
of Catholics overall
(and 46% of
the general public) believe
that sexual relations
between two adults of the same
gender is not a sin,
while
39%. of Catholics
say homosexual
behavior is morally
wrong, (versus
76% of
white
evangelicals
and 66%
of black
Protestants, and
40% of Mainline Protestants).
41% of Catholics
do not consider homosexual behavior to be a moral issue.
(Pew Research
Center, Religion & Politics Survey, 2009; PRRI/RNS Religion
News Survey, October 2010;
http://publicreligion.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Catholics-and-LGBT-Issues-Survey-Report.pdf)
Catholics
testify [2010] to showing more support
(in numbers) for legal recognitions
of same-sex relationships
than members of any other Christian tradition, and Americans
overall. Almost three-quarters
of Catholics favor
either allowing gay
and lesbian people to marry
or allowing them to form civil
unions
(43%
and 31%
respectively). Only 22%
of Catholics said there should be no
legal
recognition
of a gay couple’s
relationship. (PRRI,
Pre--election American Values Survey, 9/2010;
http://publicreligion.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Catholics-and-LGBT-Issues-Survey-Report.pdf.)
This
2010 survey
of more than 3,000 adults
found that 41%
of White American
Catholics, 45%
of Latino
Catholics (versus
16 percent
of White evangelical
Christians, and
23% of Black
Protestants) supported
the rights of same-sex couples
to marry, and
36% (22%
of Latino Catholics)
supported civil unions
(versus 24% of White
evangelicals, and
25% of Black
Protestants). Among
the general public
the rates were 37
and 27
percent.
69% of
Catholics disagree that
homosexual
orientation can be
changed, versus
23% who believe that they
can change. ^
19% of
White Catholics,
30% of Latino
Catholics,
58% of White evangelicals,
52% of Black
Protestants and 29%
of White Mainline
Protestants oppose
any legal recognition
of homosexual marriage. ^
60%
of Catholics overall,
and 53%
of the general
public favor
allowing homosexual
couples to adopt children.
^
73%
of Catholics favor
laws that would protect gay
and lesbian people against discrimination
in the workplace, and 63%
favor allowing homosexuals
to serve openly
in the military. For
the general public the
figures are 68%
and 58% respectively.
^
49%
of Catholics and
45% of the general public
agree that
homosexuals should
be eligible for
ordination with
no special requirements. ^
Among
Catholics who
attend services regularly
(weekly or more), 31%
say there should be no
legal recognition for
homosexual relationships (marriage
or civil unions), with 26%
favoring allowing gay and lesbian people
to marry, versus
43% of
Catholics who
attend once or
twice a
month, and
59% of
Catholics who
attend a few times
a year or
less favoring allowance of homosexual
marriage. ^
27% of
Catholics who attend church
services regularly say their
clergy speak about the issue of
homosexuality,
with
63% of this group saying the
messages they hear are
negative. ^
48%
of white evangelical Protestants
oppose
letting homosexuals
serve openly in the military,
with 34%
supporting
this proposal, versus 63%
of Catholics
(66%
of white) supporting
and 23%
opposing.
Pew forum, November
29, 2010,
http://pewforum.org/uploadedFiles/Topics/Issues/Gay_Marriage_and_Homosexuality/gays%20in%20military%20full%20report.pdf
White
evangelicals
are most satisfied
with their church’s handling of homosexuality,
with 75 percent
giving it an `A’
or a `B.’
Catholics
are the most critical,
with nearly a third — twice as many as any other group —
giving their church a `D’
or `F.’
Oct. 2010 Poll
sponsored by the Public Religion Research Institute and the
Religion News Service.
http://thepulpit.freedomblogging.com/2010/10/22/survey-links-gay-bullying-to-religion/7682/
31%
of Catholics
called celibacy
a major
factor
leading to sexual
abuse,
while another 28% called
it a minor
factor. 35%
said celibacy
did not play a part in the abuse.
http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/poll_catholics_050410_2pm.pdf
30%,
meanwhile, said homosexuality
played a major
role. An additional 23%
said it played a minor
role. 37%
said it was not
a factor. ^
The
percentage of percentage of adults Protestants
who
have been married
and divorced
is
34%
versus
28%
for
Catholics,
(the survey not determining if the divorce
occurred
before or after conversions) while Evangelicals
were
at
26%.
Atheists
or
agnostic
were
at 30%
(only
65%
were
ever married, vs. 84%
for
born-again
Christians)
while those
aligned with a
non-Christian
faith
were at
38%.
The
largest disparity (17%)
relative to
divorce
was
between high and low income levels (22%
to
39%).
http://www.barna.org/family-kids-articles/42-new-marriage-and-divorce-statistics-released
TOC
POLITICAL-MORAL
VIEWS AND AFFILIATION
A
study which broke down
Mainline
Protestants, Evangelical Protestants, and non-Hispanic Catholics
into
the three subgroups of
traditionalists,
centrists,
and modernists,
found that 5.3
percent of
the population qualified as
traditionalist
Catholic,
5.4
percent as
centrist
Catholics,
and 4.9
percent of
were modernist
Catholics. The
Henry Institute, A Pre-Election Analysis
http://www.calvin.edu/henry/civic/CivicRespGrant/rel&08election.doc
Latinos
Catholics
constituted
6.8
percent of
the survey respondents. ^
About
68
percent of
traditionalist
Catholics
opposed
gays
and
lesbian
marriage,
versus 50%
of
centrist
Catholics
and
65
percent of
modernist
Catholics.
^
Traditionalist
Catholics
disagreed that “abortion
should
be legal and solely up to the woman to decide”
71
to 21 percent,
centrist Catholics agreed 54
to 40 percent,
and modernist
Catholics
agreed 80-16
percent.
^
99%
of
Protestant
pastors
who
hold to very conservative theology strongly disagree
that
homosexual
marriage should
be legal,
with 98%
also
describing themselves as pro-life,
and of such 98
percent strongly
agree
with
the statement "Our
church considers Scripture to be the authority for our church
and our lives." Among
pastors who do
not strongly
disagree that
gay marriage should be legal,
71
percent said
they agreed
with
the above affirmation, as well as
65%
of
pro-choice
pastors
(three-fourths
of
all
Protestant
pastors surveyed said they are pro-life).
LifeWay
Research;
http://www.lifeway.com/ArticleView?storeId=10054&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&article=LifeWay-Research-protestant-pastors-share-views-on-gay-marriage-abortion
Evangelical
Protestants
are
the most
politically
conservative Christian tradition.
Within each tradition, those with
literal
views of the Bible
are
more
politically
conservative than
is their tradition overall.
Catholics
that
are
Biblical
literalists
(11.8%)
hold
more
conservative
political
views than the Catholic population in general does. The
Biblical
literalist
Catholic
is as
politically
conservative
as
the Biblical
literalist
who
is
Evangelical
(47.8%)
or
Mainline
Protestant. (11.2%) American
Piety in the 21st Century,
Baylor
Institute for Studies of Religion
http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/33304.pdf
72%
of
Catholics
said
that the will
of
the American people
should
have more influence
than
the Bible
on
US
law,
as
compared to 63%
of
the general public. Pew
Research Center, "Pragmatic Americans Liberal and
Conservative on Social Issues," August 3, 2006,
http://people-press.org/reports/pdf/283.pdf (accessed June 24,
2008).
In 2011,
70% of [white?] evangelicals
considered themselves Republican
or leaned toward that party, versus 24%
Democrat.
http://www.pewforum.org/Politics-and-Elections/Trends-in-Party-Identification-of-Religious-Groups.aspx
48%
of Catholics
considered themselves Democrats or
leaned toward that party, 43%
Republican
or leaned thereto. ^
47%
of
white
Catholics
identified
with or leaned toward the Democratic
Party,
while 46%
supported
the GOP
in
the mid-September [2012]
poll [up from 41%
in
2008],
while 72%
of
white
evangelicals
identified
with the GOP.
http://www.pewforum.org/Race/Latinos-Religion-and-Campaign-2012.aspx#president
37%
of Catholics
were registered as Democrats
[2007],
27%
Republican,
and 31%
as Independents. Aggregated
Pew Research Surveys,
2007.
http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=295#ideology
34%
of weekly
Mass attending Catholics are
Democrats,
and an additional 19%
are not
affiliated with a party but lean
toward the
Democrats
(53%
identifying
or leaning as Democrats).
28%
of weekly
attenders are
Republicans and an additional
17% lean toward
being a Republican
(43
percent identifying
or leaning as Republicans). Thus Democrats have a 10%
point edge among
weekly
attendees,
Catholics
who attend Mass
less than
weekly
are even more
likely
to be a Democrat
rather than a
Republican.
http://cara.georgetown.edu/NewsandPress/PressReleases/pr061808.pdf
91%
of faculty
and
administrators
from
America’s top
23 Catholic universities who
contributed to presidential campaigns in 2012 gave
to
President Obama.
89.6%
of all 928
donors
contributed to Obama,
versus 10.3%
who gave to
Romney.
Employees of the Catholic schools contributed $449,229 to
President Obama while giving just $70,304 to Republican nominee
Mitt Romney. Of the 826 individuals who donated over $200 to the
two major candidates, 748 gave to President Obama’s
campaign while 78 contributed to Romney. Based
on official Federal Election Commission data made available by
OpenSecrets.org; http://www.campusreform.org/blog/?ID=4529
Based
upon exit polling, 74
percent of
Evangelicals
voted for
McCain
in 2008, with
25 percent for
Obama.
(Another measure which put the percentage of US evangelicals at
23 percent,
with 73
percent voting
for McCain, 26
percent for
Obama.)
http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=367
Catholics
overall
supported Obama
over McCain
by a nine-point
margin (54%
vs. 45%)
^
Exit
polls in 2008
reported that
weekly churchgoing
Catholics
voted for John
McCain
over Barack
Obama,
by just 50
percent to
49
percent.
Weekly Protestant
church attendees
voted for McCain
over Barack
Obama
66
to 32
percent.
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/churchgoing_catholics_chose_mccain_over_obama/
In the
2012 election (preliminary
exit-poll analysis), white
Evangelicals (23% of the
electorate) voted 79%/20%
Romney/Obama;
Protestants overall (53% of the
electorate) voted 57%/42%;
black Protestants (9% of the electorate) and
other Christian voted 5%/95%;
Catholics overall (25% of the
electorate) voted 48%/50%; white
Catholics (18% of the electorate)
voted 59%/40%;
and Hispanic Catholics (5%
of the electorate) voted 21%/75%
Romney/Obama
http://www.pewforum.org/Politics-and-Elections/How-the-Faithful-Voted-2012-Preliminary-Exit-Poll-Analysis.aspx
Weekly
Church
attendees (28% of the electorate) voted 57%/39%
Romney/Obama;
more
than weekly
(14% of the electorate) voted 63%/36%
and “never”
attendees (17% of the electorate) were at 34%/62%
Romney/Obama.
^
According to Barna,
in 2012 45%
of the people who voted in November indicated that their faith
affected how they voted. 72% of
Evangelicals, 34%
non-evangelical
born again
voters, and 19% of Catholics,
17% of non-Christian
faith said their faith affected their presidential preference a
lot. 9% of voters overall and 10%
of evangelicals felt strongly that
Mr. Romney's Mormon
connection diminished their likelihood of supporting him.
http://www.barna.org/culture-articles/595-the-role-of-faith-in-the-2012-election
Evangelicals
supported Mr. Romney 81%
to 17% over Mr. Obama
(a smaller percentage for the Republican
candidate than in previous years). Born again Christians who are
not evangelicals supported Romney
56% to 43%
over the incumbent. Catholics
supported Mr. Obama by 57%
to 42% — the largest margin
since Bill Clinton topped Bob Dole
by 21 points in 1996.
Protestant overall voted
57% to 42% in favor of Mr.
Romney. ^
Notional
Christians (the largest segment of
voters and who consider themselves to be Christian but are not
evangelical or born again) voted 57%
to 41% in favor of Mr. Obama.
68% of Skeptics and 69% of
non-Christian faiths (14% of total
voters) also voted for the Democratic candidate. ^
1%
of Evangelicals, 10% of
non-evangelical born again voters, 14%
of Notional Christians and 33% of
Skeptics said they were politically liberal. ^
48%
of voters overall, 54%
of Notional
Christians,
53%
of Catholics,
and just 14%
of Evangelicals
agreed that the United States will be better
off four years from now than it is today. 64%
of voters overall said they would prefer that
the presidential campaign be decided by the popular
vote rather than Electoral
votes. ^
Latinos
make up
about 40
percent of
all U.S.
Catholics;
70
percent of
Latinos
are
Catholic;
23
percent
of Latinos
are
Protestant
or “other
Christian;”
37
percent of
the U.S. Latino
population
(14.2 million) self-identifies as “born-again”
or
evangelical
(26%
as born
again);
This figure includes Catholic
charismatics,
who constitute 22
percent of
U.S. Latino
Catholics;
http://www.nhclc.org/news/latino-religion-us-demographic-shifts-and-trend
In
2007,
68% of
Latinos
identified
as Catholics,
two-thirds
being
immigrants.
42%
did not
graduate
from high
school.
46%
have a
household income
of less
than $30,000
per year -
lower than that of other religious traditions. The Latino
electorate
was
overwhelmingly
Catholic
(63%),
and 70%
of all
Latino
eligible
voters
who
identified as Democrats
were
Catholics.
15%
of
Hispanics
overall
identified themselves as evangelicals.
64%
have at
least a high
school
diploma,
and about 39%
have a
household income
of less
than $30,000
per year
Among Hispanic
eligible
voters
who were
evangelicals,
37%
said they
considered themselves Republicans
and 32%
said they
were Democrats.
http://www.pewforum.org/uploadedfiles/Topics/Demographics/hispanics-religion-07-final-mar08.pdf
Among
registered
voters
in 2007,
50%
of white
Evangelicals
and 36%
of Latino
Evangelicals
were
Republican,
25%
of the
former
and 36%
of the
latter
were
Democrats.
23%
white
Evangelical
and
19%
of Latino
Evangelicals
were
Independents
http://www.pewforum.org/uploadedfiles/Topics/Demographics/hispanics-religion-07-final-mar08.pdf
70%
of Latino
registered
voters
in 2012
identify
with or lean toward the Democratic
Party,
while 22%
identify
with or lean toward the Republican
Party. 81
percent of
Latinos
with
no
religious affiliation were
Democrats
or
Democratic
leaning.
http://www.pewforum.org/Race/Latinos-Religion-and-Campaign-2012.aspx#president
73%
of Latino Catholics
surveyed said they favored Obama,
versus 19% for Romney,
while 50% of Latino
evangelical Protestants (who accounted for 16% of all Latino registered voters) favored Obama, and
39% were for
Romney.
http://www.pewforum.org/Race/Latinos-Religion-and-Campaign-2012.aspx
Latino
Catholics
made up 57%
of the electorate
in 2012,
and 71%
are Democrats
or lean
toward the Democratic
Party, while 21%
identify with or lean
toward the Republican
Party. Among Latino
evangelical
voters, about half
are Democrats
or lean Democratic, while about a third
are Republicans
or lean toward the Republican Party.
http://www.pewforum.org/Race/Latinos-Religion-and-Campaign-2012.aspx
White,
non-Hispanic Catholics
express about as much support for
same-sex marriage as Hispanic
Catholics do (53%
and 54%, respectively). White
evangelical Protestants are
somewhat more opposed to gay
marriage (76%)
than are Hispanic evangelical
Protestants (66%). ^
Latino
Evangelicals are 50%
more likely than those who are Catholics
to identify with the Republican
Party, and are significantly more
conservative than Catholics
on social issues,
foreign policy
issues and even in their attitudes toward the plight
of the poor.
http://pewforum.org/surveys/hispanic
54%
of
Hispanic
Catholics
believe
that churches and other places of worship should be required to
provide health
care
coverage
that includes contraception,
compared to 41%
Hispanic
Protestants.
African
American & Hispanic Reproductive Issues Survey by the Public
Religion Research Institute, July 2012
Black
Catholics
constituted 5%
of the Catholic
church (highly predominantly from the West at 11%, versus 4-6%
elsewhere) in 2007,
and 15%
of evangelicals
(based on denomination, and spread fairly evenly, even in the NE
at 16%, but lowest in the West at 11%).
http://www.pewforum.org/A-Religious-Portrait-of-African-Americans.aspx
Blacks
constituted 13%
of the electorate
in 2012.
http://www.resurgentrepublic.com/research/2012-the-year-changing-demographics-caught-up-with-republicans
77
percent
of Black Protestants
said they vote Democratic,
whether they attended weekly services or not. 2008
The
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
For
those in black Catholic churches,
political affiliation or leaning in
2007 was 17%/74%
Republican/Democrat,
and 11%/76% for black
evangelical churches. Opposition
to homosexuality
37% by black Catholics
and 58% by black
evangelicals. Opposition
to abortion was 35%
by black Catholics
and 53% by black
evangelicals. 66%
of black evangelicals
and 36% of black
Catholics say they attend
services at least weekly.
http://www.pewforum.org/A-Religious-Portrait-of-African-Americans.aspx
22% of
Asian-Americans are
Protestants and
19% are Catholic (while
26% are
unaffiliated, with 52%
of
Chinese being
so).
.http://www.pewforum.org/Asian-Americans-A-Mosaic-of-Faiths-overview.aspx
47%
of Asian-American Protestants
are or lean toward the Republican
party, versus 36%
Democrat.
Asian-American evangelicals
were at 56%/28%.
Asian-American Catholics were at 42%/41%
(Hindu
Asian-Americans 9%/72%
Republican/Democrat).
^
76%
of
Asian-American
evangelical
Protestants
go to services
at least once a
week,
followed by Catholics
at
60%.
Opposition to abortion
and
homosexuality
is likewise
higher
among the
former.
^
71%
of Evangelicals,
35%
of Protestants
and 25%
of Catholics
said that a
candidates
position
on
abortion
would have a lot of
influence
on their decision
of who to
vote for
in 2012.
Likewise
63% of
evangelicals,
35%
of
Protestants
and 19%
of Catholics
and said a candidates
position on homosexual
marriage
would have a lot of
influence on their decision.
Barna,
April, 2011
http://www.barna.org/transformation-articles/482-voters-most-interested-in-issues-concerning-security-and-comfort-least-interested-in-moral-issues
73%
of Catholics
polled say they believe
Catholic politicians
are under
no
religious
obligation
to vote
on issues the way the
bishops
recommend,
with 75%
disapproving
of denying
communion
to
Catholics
who
support
legal
abortion,
while
70%
of Catholics say
that the views
of Catholic
bishops
in the US are
unimportant
to them in deciding for
whom to vote,
and 69%
of say they feel no
obligation
to vote
against
candidates
who support
abortion.
Belden
Russonello & Stewart, "Secular and Security-Minded: The
Catholic Vote in Summer 2008," Catholics for Choice, July
2008. http://www.catholicvote.net/page7/page22/page22.html
According
to a February,
2011
Pew forum survey,
44%
of white
evangelical
Protestants
agree
with the
Tea Party
movement,
with only
8%
disagreeing,
while
33% of
white
Catholics
agree and
23%
disagree.
Only
12% of
atheists/agnostics
support
it with 67%
opposing.
http://pewforum.org/Politics-and-Elections/Tea-Party-and-Religion.aspx
In 2011,
70% of white
evangelicals favored the GOP
(up from 65% in 2004),
compared with 24% who favored the
Democratic Party.
By 2011
the number of mainline Protestants
favoring the Republican Party had
jumped by six
points to 51%, and Democratic
support had dropped by six
points to 39%.
White mainline Protestants
are now 12 points more likely to
express support for the GOP
than for the Democratic Party.
49%
white Catholics
in 2008 supported for the
Democratic Party and
41% identified as Republican
or said they leaned toward the GOP.
By 2011, the figures were reversed,
42% expressed support for Democrats
and 49% for Republicans.
White
evangelicals
under 30
are now more heavily Republican
than those over 30
(82%
vs. 69%).
And among white
non-Hispanic Catholics
under age 30,
support for the GOP
has increased from 41%
in 2008
to 54%
in 2011.
In 2011,
all basic groups (all Catholic,
Protestants, Mormons,
Jewish, atheist/agnostic)
showed increased support for
Republicans.
Religiously
unaffiliated voters - the fastest
growing block - 61% identified with
or leaned toward the Democratic
Party, versus 27% for Republicans.
-
http://www.pewforum.org/Politics-and-Elections/Trends-in-Party-Identification-of-Religious-Groups-affiliation.aspx
65%
of Catholics
supported a tax
increase for the wealthiest
Americans in 2006,
up from 52
percent
in 2002.
Majorities of Catholics support issues traditionally considered
planks of the Democratic
Party
platform: universal
healthcare,
pro-labor
policies, access to abortion,
and social
welfare
programs for the poor.
http://cara.georgetown.edu/NewsandPress/PressReleases/pr061808.pdf
10%
of
Evangelical
Protestants
reside in the
NE,
23%
in the
Midwest,
50%
in the
South,
and 17%
in the
West.
Catholics:
29%
NE,
24%
Midwest,
24%
in the
South,
23%
in the
West.
“Muslim
Americans: Middle Class and Mostly Mainstream,” Pew
Research Center, 2007.
http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons#
The
population of Massachusetts
ranks as the most liberal,
with Boston and Cambridge
being the most liberal large cities
(100,000
or more),
followed by California.
http://www.epodunk.com/top10/liberal/index.html
The 16
most Catholic states
contain 24
of the most liberal
cities. Excluding (Maryland 26th),
predominately Roman Catholic states
contain all but one (Seattle WA) of the 30
most liberal
cities.
Of states in which S. Baptists
are the single largest
denomination none
(of the 30
cities) were found. (the
term “liberal” being defined according to individual
contributions to PACs, election returns and the number of
homosexual households:
http://www.epodunk.com/top10/liberal/index.html
http://www.glenmary.org/grc/RCMS_2000/Catholic_findings.htm
,
http://www.adherents.com/rel_USA.html.
The
highest
percentages
of
residents who describe themselves as
Christian
are
typically in the
South,
including: Shreveport, LA (98%), Birmingham (96%), Charlotte
(96%), Nashville (95%), Greenville, SC / Asheville, NC (94%),
New Orleans (94%), Indianapolis (93%), Lexington (93%),
Roanoke-Lynchburg (93%), Little Rock (92%), and Memphis (92%).
http://www.barna.org/faith-spirituality/435-diversity-of-faith-in-various-us-cities
73% of
the populations of Charlotte
and Shreveport
held scripture in high
regard, versus only
27% of the residents of
Providence, Rhode
Island [the most Catholic state] and San
Francisco [the most homosexual
large city]. ^
The
lowest percentages
of self-identified Christians
inhabited the following markets: San
Francisco (68%), Portland, Oregon (71%), Portland, Maine (72%),
Seattle (73%), Sacramento (73%), New York (73%), San Diego
(75%), Los Angeles (75%), Boston (76%), Phoenix (78%), Miami
(78%), Las Vegas (78%), and Denver (78%). Even in these cities,
however, roughly three out of every four residents align with
Christianity. ^
The
highest
percentage
of
souls who tended toward being atheist
or agnostic
were in
Portland, Maine (19%), Seattle (19%), Portland, Oregon (16%),
Sacramento (16%), and Spokane (16%)
Commitment
to
evangelism
(agree
strongly that a person has a responsibility to share their
beliefs with others) saw the greatest
percentage
of
endorsement
by
residents of Birmingham
(64%)
and Charlotte (54%),
in contrast to residents of Providence (14%) and Boston (17%).
(See
HERE
for
a table of casual Religious-Political relations. And HERE
for
correlation between faith, ideology, politics, environment,
money.)
TOC
DEMOGRAPHICS,
GROWTH, CONVERSIONS, ETC,
31%
of
Catholics
made
less than
$30,000
per
year (2008), while
19%
made
$100,000
or
more (National average:
31%
and
18%
respectively).
The figures for
Evangelical
Protestants
were
34%
and
13%
respectively.
Hindus
and
Jews
had
the highest income levels.
http://pewforum.org/Income-Distribution-Within-US-Religious-Groups.aspx
Evangelical
Churches
(17%),
had the lowest percentage
of souls aged 18-29,
versus Unaffiliated (31%),
Muslims (29%),
Historically Black Churches (24%),
Mormons (24%)
and Other Faiths (24%).
Mainline Churches had the greater
percentage
(23%)
of
souls 65
and
older. U.S.
Religious landscape survey; Copyright © 2008 The Pew Forum
on Religion & Public Life.
http://religions.pewforum.org/comparisons#
A
Catholic
study
in the year 2000
reported
that of the 17
religious bodies in
America with 1
million or
more adherents in 2000,
only six
showed
an increase
in
numbers while 10 showed a decline in numbers.
Glenmary
Research Centers.
3.5http://www.glenmary.org/grc/RCMS_2000/Catholic_findings.htm
Among
the gainers,
four
religious
bodies showed double-digit increases-- between
16
percent for
Catholics
and
19
percent for
Latter-Day Saints (Mormons).
The Southern
Baptist Convention
grew at nearly 5
percent.
^
Except
for Catholics
(which
grew between 1990
and
2000
mainly by
immigration),
all those bodies gaining members between
1990
and 2000 generally
are considered “Conservative
Protestants,”
while most of those showing a
decrease
in
number of adherents generally are considered “Moderate”
or “Liberal”
Protestants.
^
In
every state, the percent
Catholic
growth
from
1990
to 2000 was
substantially greater than the general population growth
[including a 45
percent increase
in Arkansas
and
111
percent increase
in Nevada.]
^
The
Catholic population
of the US had fallen by nearly 400,000 in 2007,
and suffered a slight membership loss in 2009
but increased 1.49 percent
in 2010.
[U.S. population growth rate in 2008 was 0.9 percent, and 0.57
percent in 2011.]. From 2007
to 2008
Roman
Catholics
grew from 17.33 percent
of the global population to 17.4
percent in 2008.
http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=5753
http://www.ncccusa.org/news/100204yearbook2010.html;
http://www.ncccusa.org/news/110210yearbook2011.html
2002
Statistics
compiled by the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for
Hispanic
Affairs
reported that
71
percent of
the U.S. Catholic
population
growth
since
1960
was
due to
Hispanics.
The statistics are taken from U.S. Census reports and recent
surveys of Hispanics.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_15_36/ai_59607715/pg_3/
In
2008, 25:1% of
respondents self-identified themselves as Catholic
(versus 26.2 in
1990),
with
50.9
belonging
to
Other
Christian groups
(from
60%
in
1990).
http://www.americanreligionsurvey-aris.org/reports/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf
The
total number baptized
Catholic
individuals recognized
by each parish
and mission
in the United States was
58.9
million. http://www.glenmary.org/rcms2010/
Note
various ways of tabulation:
http://www.glenmary.org/rcms-appendix/
According
to the American Bishops'
count in their Official Catholic Directory 2010,
which primarily rests on the parish assessment tax which pastors
evaluate yearly according to the number of registered members
and contributors, Catholics
in
the United States represented 22%
of
the US population.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_in_the_United_States#cite_ref-0
24%
of
current “Nones”
(not
identifying with any religion) and 35%
of
1st generation or "new" Nones) identified themselves
being Catholic
at
age 12,
11%
identified
themselves as "Christian,"
7%
as
Baptist,
and 3%
as
Protestant.
2008
American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS);
http://commons.trincoll.edu/aris/files/2011/08/ARIS_Report_2008.pdf
http://commons.trincoll.edu/aris/files/2011/08/NONES_08.pdf
A
2010
report
show the Church
of God (Cleveland,
Tenn.) - ranked 24th
largest
- increased 1.76
percent,
and the Assemblies
of God (9th)
grew 1.27
percent.
The (so-called) “Latter-day
Saints”
[cult]
(ranked 4th
largest)
grew 1.71
percent,
the (so-called) Jehovah's Witnesses [cult]
(23rd
)
said they were up 2
percent
http://www.ncccusa.org/news/100204yearbook2010.html
The
Presbyterian Church
(USA) shrank 3.3 percent
Southern Baptist Convention, the
largest denomination after
Catholics, lost
0.24 percent
of its membership and now stands at 16.2 million. It
also declined in membership in the year prior.
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/catholic_church_shows_robust_growth_in_u.s._membership_new_report_says/
Between
2000
and
2004,
the net gain (the number of new churches minus the closed
churches) in the number of evangelical churches was 5,452,
but
mainline
and
Catholic
churches
closed
more than they started for a net
loss of 2,200,
while a net gain
of
13,024
churches was necessary to keep up with the U.S.
population growth.
At those rates, by 2050,
the percentage of the U.S. population attending
church
will
be almost half
of
what it was in 1990.
http://www.churchleaders.com/pastors/pastor-articles/139575-7-startling-facts-an-up-close-look-at-church-attendance-in-america.html
In
numbers (not
percentage),
Catholicism,
which lists 68.1 million in the US, has experienced “the
greatest net loss”
of any major religious group. members.
The 'had it'
Catholics,” National Catholic Reporter ,Oct. 11, 2001,
based on reports from the 2008 Pew Forum on Religion &
Public Life survey and the National Council of Churches’
2010 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches.
68%
of
those raised
Roman
Catholic
still
are Catholic (higher than the retention rates of individual
Protestant denoms, but less than Jews
at
76%).
15%
are
now Protestant
(9%
evangelical);
14%
are
unaffiliated.
Pew
forum, Faith in Flux (April 27, 2009)
http://pewforum.org/uploadedfiles/Topics/Religious_Affiliation/fullreport.pdf
80%
of
adults who were raised
Protestant
are
still Protestant,
but
(analysis shows) 25%
no
longer self-identify
with
the Protestant
denomination
in which they were raised.
^
44
percent of
Americans have switched
religious
affiliations
since childhood, mostly mainline
Protestants.
7%
who
were raised Protestant
are
now unaffiliated; 15%
now
belong to a different
Protestant
faith.
^
51%
of
Protestants
from
a different
Protestant
denomination
cite
a lack
of spiritual fulfillment as
a reason
for
leaving
their
childhood faith. 85%
say
they joined their current
denominational
faith
because
they enjoy
the
services
and
style of worship.
Only
15%
left
say they left
because
they stopped
believing in
its teachings. ^
Those
who have left
Catholicism outnumber
those who have joined
the
Catholic Church by nearly a four-to-one
margin. 10.1% have
left the Catholic
Church after
having been raised
Catholic, while
only
2.6% of
adults
have
become Catholic
after
having been raised
in
a different
faith.^
4%
of
Americans raised Catholic
are
now unaffiliated;
5%
are
now Protestant.
^
Over 75%
of those who left Catholicism
attended Mass
at least once a week as children,
versus 86%
having done so who remain Catholics today.^
Regarding
reasons for leaving
Catholicism,
less than 30%
of former
Catholics
agreed that the clergy sexual abuse
scandal played a role in their
departure. ^
71%
of converts from Catholicism
to Protestant faith said
that their spiritual needs
were not being met
in Catholicism,
with 78%
of Evangelical Protestants
in particular concurring, versus
43% of those now unaffiliated.
^
50%
of all Protestants
converts from Catholicism said
they stopped believing in Catholicism's teachings overall. Only
23%
(20%
now evangelical)
were unhappy
about Catholicism's teachings on abortion/homosexuality
(versus 46%
of those now unaffiliated);
23%
also expressed disagreement with teaching on divorce/remarriage;
16% (12%
now evangelical)
were dissatisfied with teachings on birth
control, 70%
said they found a religion
the liked more in Protestantism.
55%
of evangelical
converts from Catholicism
cited dissatisfaction
with Catholic teachings
about the Bible
was a reason for leaving
Catholicism,
with 46%
saying the Catholic
Church did not view the Bible
literally
enough.
81%
of all Protestant
converts from Catholicism
said they enjoyed the service and worship of Protestant
faith as a reason for joining a
Protestant
denomination, with 62%
of all Protestants and 74%
Evangelicals
also saying that they felt God's
call to do so. ^
42%
of those now unaffiliated
stated they do not believe in God,
or most religious teaching.
^
54%
of “millennial generation” Catholics
(born in 1982
or later) are Hispanics,
while 39%
are non-Hispanic whites.
On the other hand, 76%
of “pre-Vatican II generation” Catholics (born 1943
or earlier) are non-Hispanic
whites, while 15%
are Hispanics.
Center for Applied
Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University,
September, 2010 .
http://www.osv.com/tabid/7621/itemid/6850/Openers-More-evidence-of-the-browning-of-US-Cat.aspx
68%
of
all Latinos
in
the U.S. identify as
Catholics.
Changing
Faiths: Latinos and the Transformation of American Religion
http://pewforum.org/Changing-Faiths-Latinos-and-the-Transformation-of-American-Religion.aspx
Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion - American Piety in the
21 Century – 9-2006
http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/33304.pdf
Among
Catholics under
the age
of 30, 47%
are white,
and 45%
are Latino.
In contrast, among Catholics
over the age of 65, 82% are white (Pew
Forum 2007, reported in
http://publicreligion.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Catholics-and-LGBT-Issues-Survey-Report.pdf)
Latinos
comprised
32 percent of
all U.S. Catholics in
2008,
versus
to 20
percent in
1990.
However,
Catholic identification has slipped from 66
percent in
1990 to
60 percent in
2008. There
has also been a significant rise in the number of Latinos
who
do not adhere to
a religion. The longer a Latino
has
lived in the United States, the less
likely he or she is to be Catholic. Study
of Secularism in Society and Culture at Trinity College,
http://theamericano.com/2010/03/18/new-report-on-u-s-latino-religious-identification/
18%
of
all Latinos
say
they have either
converted
from
one religion to another or to
no
religion at
all.
http://pewhispanic.org/files/reports/75.4.pdf
1,000
Mexicans left
the Catholic
Church
every day between 2000
and
2010,
a decline
that
has continued
uninterrupted
over the past 60
years,
from 98.21
of
the population to 83.9
percent today.
Latin
American Herald Tribune, March 10, 2011, based upon census data
and study by sociologist and historian Roberto Blancarte of
Colegio de Mexico and the National Autonomous University of
Mexico
The
percentage of of Protestants
and
Evangelicals
rose
from
1.28%
in 1950
to
close to
8%
of
the total population in 2010,
(excluding
so-called Jehovah’s
Witnesses
or
Mormons).
5.2
million
say
they profess no
religion.
^
This
decline
is
seen as extending across the region (Catholics represent between
55%
to
73%
in
Central
America,
70%
in
Brazil,
50%
in
Cuba
and
Uruguay).^
Brazil’s
National Statistics Institute reported that the number of
evangelical Christians
in Brazil (the world’s largest Catholic country) has risen
from 15% of the population in 2000
to to 22% of the population in
2010, and 4%
40 years ago, while the proportion
of Catholic Brazilians
fell from 93.% of Brazilians 40
years ago, and 74% of the
population in 2000 to to
65% in 2010.
http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/06/29/ratio-of-evangelicals-in-brazil-jumps-44-in-10-years/
Almost
20%
of
all Latino
American
Catholics have
left the
Roman
Catholicism,
with 23
percent of
second-generation
Latino
Americans doing so.
http://www.baylor.edu/content/services/document.php/33304.pdf
54%
of
Hispanic
Catholics
describe
themselves as
charismatic
Christians.
http://pewhispanic.org/reports/report.php?ReportID=75
51%
of
Hispanic
Evangelicals are
converts,
and 43%
are
former
Catholics.
^
82%
of
Hispanics
cite
the desire for a more direct,
personal
experience with God
as
the main reason for adopting a new faith. Among those who have
become evangelicals,
90%
say
it was a spiritual
search for
a more direct, personal
experience
with God was
the main reason that drove their conversion.
Negative
views of Catholicism
do
not
appear
to be a major reason for their conversion.
^
Latino
evangelicals are more than 20
percentage points more likely than Catholics
to say that abortion should be
illegal in most or all
circumstances.
http://www.nhclc.org/news/latino-religion-us-demographic-shifts-and-trend
The
first generation of Latino
immigrants is 74
percent Catholic, and 15 percent
Protestant. The second generation is 72
percent Catholic, and 20 percent
Protestant. The third generation is 62
percent Catholic, and 29 percent
Protestant. ^
According
to the Census Bureau, the Latino
population in the United States grew from 22.4
million in 1990 to 41.3
million in 2004,
adding a staggering 18.9 million people
in 10 years. Broader estimates,
which include Puerto Rican
islanders (4 million) and
undocumented immigrants
(5 million), put the U.S.
Latino population at over 50
million. ^
In 2003,
Latinos surpassed
African-Americans as the largest
minority group in the United
States. Latinos now represent about
14 percent of the U.S.
population. This growth is a result of both immigration
and high domestic birth rates. About 53
percent of all immigrants to
the United States come from
Latin America. Mexicans and
Mexican-Americans make up 58
percent of all foreign born
Latin-American immigrants.
^
98%
of
evangelical
leaders
agree
that the
Bible
is the word of God.
Only 3%
believe
that human life has evolved
with
no involvement from a supreme being, and 47%
reject
theistic
evolution,
while 41%
believe
God has used
evolution
for
the purpose of creating humans and other life.
http://www.pewforum.org/uploadedFiles/Topics/Religious_Affiliation/Christian/Evangelical_Protestant_Churches/Global%20Survey%20of%20Evan.%20Prot.%20Leaders.pdf
51%
do not see influence of
Catholicism as a threat,
while 35% see it as a minor
threat, and 10% see it as a major
one. 92% express favorable
opinions of Pentecostals, and 76%
express favorable opinions
of Catholics. 7%
say they consider non-religious
people to be friendly toward
evangelicals, and
35% say they have a very unfavorable
opinion of atheists, with 35%saying
mostly unfavorable.
^
41%
say that conflict between religious
groups is a small problem, while 17%
say it is a very big problem, with
30% seeing theological
divisions among evangelical
as one (54% as a minor
threat), and 77% also see
evangelical leaders displaying
lavish lifestyles
as a threat (30% major, 47% minor).
^
Evangelical
leaders in the Middle
East and North
Africa are most likely to say
religious conflict is a moderately
big (37%) or very
big (35%) problem. 55%
of those in the Asia-Pacific region
and 49% in sub-Saharan
Africa also see inter- religious conflict as a moderately
or very big problem. 90%
who live in Muslim-majority countries say the influence of Islam
is a major threat, compared with 41%
of elsewhere. ^
73%
of evangelical leaders worldwide affirm that God’s
covenant with the Jewish
people continues today, and 60%
hold mostly favorable views of
Jews, though 33%
think that Jews are unfriendly
toward evangelicals. 48% say the
state of Israel is a fulfillment
of biblical prophecy about the
Second Coming of Jesus, while 42%
say it is not, and 49%
say they sympathize with both
Israel and the Palestinians
equally. ^
33%
describe themselves as Pentecostals,
versus 14% of leaders from the
Global North. 76%
say they have experienced or witnessed a divine
healing, and 70%
of those from the Global South say
they have witnessed the devil or
evil spirits being driven
out. ^
90%
reject the so-called prosperity
gospel, the notion that God will
grant wealth and good health to those who have enough faith. 52%
(75% in the “Global South”)
believe drinking alcohol
is incompatible with being a good
evangelical, 97%
likewise reject astrology, 96%
reject reincarnation,
95% reject denying Jesus
is the only way to salvation, 92%
reject yoga.
^
96%
disapprove
of abortion at least conditionally,
with 51%
(59%
in
the “Global South,” including Africa)
affirming that abortion
is
always wrong,
with 45%
saying
it is usually
wrong.
84%
say
that society should discourage homosexuality,
and 79%
say
that men should serve as the religious leaders
in
the marriage and family, and
71%
of
the leaders are male,
yet 75%
think
that women
may
be allowed to serve as pastors.
(in contrast
to historical Protestantism). ^
84%
think that religious leaders
should express their views on
political matters, with just 13%
disagreeing. 48%
oppose making the Bible
the law of the land, while
45% favor it. However, 74%
vs. 21% of evangelical
leaders surveyed said it is acceptable
to them if their country’s
political
leaders
have
a different
religion
than
their own. ^
58%
in
the Global South
say
that evangelical Christians are gaining
influence
on
life in their countries. By contrast, 66%
in
the Global North
(82%
say
in the United
States)
say that evangelicals are losing
influence
in
the societies in which they live. ^ TOC
