Source: The PEW Forum or Religion & Public Life
ANALYSIS November 7, 2012
- Vote Choice by Religion and Race
- Vote Choice by Religious Attendance
- Religious Composition of the 2012 Electorate
In his re-election victory, Democrat Barack Obama narrowly defeated Republican Mitt Romney in the national popular vote (50% to 48%)1. Obama’s margin of victory was much smaller than in 2008 when he defeated John McCain by a 53% to 46% margin, and he lost ground among white evangelical Protestants and white Catholics. But the basic religious contours of the 2012 electorate resemble recent elections – traditionally Republican groups such as white evangelicals and weekly churchgoers strongly backed Romney, while traditionally Democratic groups such as black Protestants, Hispanic Catholics, Jews and the religiously unaffiliated backed Obama by large margins.
Vote Choice by Religion and Race
Religiously unaffiliated voters and Jewish voters were firmly in Obama’s corner in 2012 (70% and 69%, respectively). Compared with 2008, support for Obama ticked downward among both Jews and religiously unaffiliated voters in the exit polls, though these declines appear not to be statistically significant. Both of these groups have long been strongly supportive of Democratic candidates in presidential elections. Black Protestants also voted overwhelmingly for Obama (95%).
At the other end of the political spectrum, nearly eight-in-ten white evangelical Protestants voted for Romney (79%), compared with 20% who backed Obama. Romney received as much support from evangelical voters as George W. Bush did in 2004 (79%) and more support from evangelicals than McCain did in 2008 (73%). Mormon voters were also firmly in Romney’s corner; nearly eight-in-ten Mormons (78%) voted for Romney, while 21% voted for Obama. Romney received about the same amount of support from Mormons that Bush received in 2004. (Exit poll data on Mormons was unavailable for 2000 and 2008.)
Compared with religiously unaffiliated and Jewish voters on the left and white evangelicals and Mormons on the right, Catholics and white mainline Protestants were more evenly divided. Among white mainline Protestants in the exit poll, 54% voted for Romney, while 44% supported Obama. This is virtually identical to the 2008 election, when 55% of white mainline Protestants voted for McCain and 44% backed Obama.
White Catholics, by contrast, swung strongly in the Republican direction relative to 2008. Nearly six-in-ten white Catholics (59%) voted for Romney, up from 52% who voted for McCain in 2008. Three-quarters of Hispanic Catholics voted for Obama, and Catholics as a whole were evenly divided in 2012 (50% voted for Obama, while 48% backed Romney).
Vote Choice by Religious Attendance
As in other recent elections, those who attend religious services most often exhibited the strongest support for the Republican presidential candidate. Nearly six-in-ten voters who say they attend religious services at least once a week voted for Romney (59%), while 39% backed Obama. Romney received as much support from weekly churchgoers as other Republican candidates have in recent elections.
Those who say they never attend religious services were again among the strongest Democratic supporters in the presidential election. More than six-in-ten voters who say they never attend religious services voted for Obama (62%). Voters who say they attend religious services a few times a month or a few times a year also supported Obama over Romney by a 55% to 43% margin.
Categories: Americas, United States
In fact out side Muslim world was having a feeling against Mr. Romney by seeing his activities and announcements at different places to use war as a weapon which was going against peace and any wing or sector of the world who wants to maintain the world in a peace full atmosphere and considering the real difficulties of the human being will definitely opt the right full way and candidate.Though it is learn t that Americans are having a sense of good option but one thing is found peculiar that is the white main line protestant and the daily church goers where teaching of peace and non violence is imparted to worshipers, how they have moved to the man who was all the time talking of war as a solution which was dangerous to the world and it’s existence. I have observed in the table where data s of vote distribution in different groups and sectors are shown,no where they have written the name of Muslims,in which group they have been absorbed that is also not mentioned.It does not look justified at a glance of sight people will under stand that no Muslims are there.This point is very much Important for Muslim significance.Here I do admire Jews community for their option to select Obama. One most important point has also come out that peace of the world is depending on the executives of churches ,how they are making minds of worshipers.Peace loving personalities are required at those places which Christianity teaches.