Trends in Voter Preferences Among Religious Groups

Graphic • November 5, 2012

This interactive graphic summarizes the voting preferences of major religious groups, drawing on data from the latest survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press among registered voters reached on landlines and cell phones. Results are not reported for smaller religious groups, such as Jews, Muslims and Hindus, because the surveys do not include enough respondents from these groups to produce reliable estimates. The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press also includes a discussion of the voter preferences of likely voters based on its latest presidential election polling. Additional information on the voter preferences of a number of political and demographic groups is available from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

  • All Registered Voters
  • Protestants
  • White Evangelical Prot.
  • White Mainline Protestants
  • Black Protestants
  • Catholics
  • White Catholics
  • Unaffiliated
  • Those Attending Services…
  • At Least Weekly
  • Monthly/Yearly
  • Seldom/Never
October 4, 2011 November 14, 2011 January 16, 2012 February 12, 2012 March 11, 2012 April 15, 2012 May 20, 2012 June 17, 2012 July 9, 2012 July 26, 2012 September 16, 2012 October 7, 2012 October 28, 2012 November 3, 2012
Obama/leans Obama 48 49 50 52 54 49 49 50 50 51 51 46 47 49
Romney/leans Romney 48 47 45 44 42 45 42 46 43 41 42 46 45 42
October 4, 2011 November 14, 2011 January 16, 2012 February 12, 2012 March 11, 2012 April 15, 2012 May 20, 2012 June 17, 2012 July 9, 2012 July 26, 2012 September 16, 2012 October 7, 2012 October 28, 2012 November 3, 2012
Obama/leans Obama 42 43 43 44 48 43 43 43 43 45 43 38 39 43
Romney/leans Romney 53 53 52 53 49 51 49 52 51 48 50 56 54 49
October 4, 2011 November 14, 2011 January 16, 2012 February 12, 2012 March 11, 2012 April 15, 2012 May 20, 2012 June 17, 2012 July 9, 2012 July 26, 2012 September 16, 2012 October 7, 2012 October 28, 2012 November 3, 2012
Obama/leans Obama 20 26 19 21 25 20 19 21 21 24 19 21 17 18
Romney/leans Romney 75 70 76 76 72 73 71 73 72 69 74 73 76 75
October 4, 2011 November 14, 2011 January 16, 2012 February 12, 2012 March 11, 2012 April 15, 2012 May 20, 2012 June 17, 2012 July 9, 2012 July 26, 2012 September 16, 2012 October 7, 2012 October 28, 2012 November 3, 2012
Obama/leans Obama 40 38 42 46 42 42 41 43 40 42 45 34 35 42
Romney/leans Romney 56 56 50 50 52 50 52 53 55 51 46 60 60 48
October 4, 2011 November 14, 2011 January 16, 2012 February 12, 2012 March 11, 2012 April 15, 2012 May 20, 2012 June 17, 2012 July 9, 2012 July 26, 2012 September 16, 2012 October 7, 2012 October 28, 2012 November 3, 2012
Obama/leans Obama 97 96 null null null 96 92 95 92 91 95 87 93 92
Romney/leans Romney 1 3 – – – 0 2 1 4 4 2 5 2 3
October 4, 2011 November 14, 2011 January 16, 2012 February 12, 2012 March 11, 2012 April 15, 2012 May 20, 2012 June 17, 2012 July 9, 2012 July 26, 2012 September 16, 2012 October 7, 2012 October 28, 2012 November 3, 2012
Obama/leans Obama 47 50 49 52 53 45 48 49 51 53 54 47 48 49
Romney/leans Romney 50 48 45 44 44 50 41 47 42 40 39 45 46 45
October 4, 2011 November 14, 2011 January 16, 2012 February 12, 2012 March 11, 2012 April 15, 2012 May 20, 2012 June 17, 2012 July 9, 2012 July 26, 2012 September 16, 2012 October 7, 2012 October 28, 2012 November 3, 2012
Obama/leans Obama 41 46 40 44 45 37 41 44 44 45 47 40 40 43
Romney/leans Romney 57 53 53 52 51 57 50 53 49 47 46 52 54 51
October 4, 2011 November 14, 2011 January 16, 2012 February 12, 2012 March 11, 2012 April 15, 2012 May 20, 2012 June 17, 2012 July 9, 2012 July 26, 2012 September 16, 2012 October 7, 2012 October 28, 2012 November 3, 2012
Obama/leans Obama 61 64 64 68 75 67 66 68 68 65 65 63 66 64
Romney/leans Romney 35 31 28 28 22 26 26 26 27 27 27 24 21 25
October 4, 2011 November 14, 2011 January 16, 2012 February 12, 2012 March 11, 2012 April 15, 2012 May 20, 2012 June 17, 2012 July 9, 2012 July 26, 2012 September 16, 2012 October 7, 2012 October 28, 2012 November 3, 2012
Obama/leans Obama 40 41 39 39 48 38 40 40 41 40 42 35 38 41
Romney/leans Romney 56 55 55 58 48 56 51 55 52 52 51 59 55 50
October 4, 2011 November 14, 2011 January 16, 2012 February 12, 2012 March 11, 2012 April 15, 2012 May 20, 2012 June 17, 2012 July 9, 2012 July 26, 2012 September 16, 2012 October 7, 2012 October 28, 2012 November 3, 2012
Obama/leans Obama 52 49 54 58 53 52 54 53 51 56 53 51 48 50
Romney/leans Romney 44 49 41 39 43 41 40 43 43 37 39 41 45 43
October 4, 2011 November 14, 2011 January 16, 2012 February 12, 2012 March 11, 2012 April 15, 2012 May 20, 2012 June 17, 2012 July 9, 2012 July 26, 2012 September 16, 2012 October 7, 2012 October 28, 2012 November 3, 2012
Obama/leans Obama 54 61 60 63 63 60 57 60 63 60 61 61 59 60
Romney/leans Romney 42 34 34 33 32 33 32 36 31 32 32 30 31 30

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Compare Support

  • For Obama
  • For Romney
October 4, 2011 November 14, 2011 January 16, 2012 February 12, 2012 March 11, 2012 April 15, 2012 May 20, 2012 June 17, 2012 July 9, 2012 July 26, 2012 September 16, 2012 October 7, 2012 October 28, 2012 November 3, 2012
White Evangelical Protestant RVs 20 26 19 21 25 20 19 21 21 24 19 21 17 18
White Catholic RVs 41 46 40 44 45 37 41 44 44 45 47 40 40 43
White Mainline Protestant RVs 40 38 42 46 42 42 41 43 40 42 45 34 35 42
Religiously Unaffiliated RVs 61 64 64 68 75 67 66 68 68 65 65 63 66 64
Black Protestant RVs 97 96 – – – 96 92 95 92 91 95 87 93 92
October 4, 2011 November 14, 2011 January 16, 2012 February 12, 2012 March 11, 2012 April 15, 2012 May 20, 2012 June 17, 2012 July 9, 2012 July 26, 2012 September 16, 2012 October 7, 2012 October 28, 2012 November 3, 2012
White Evangelical Protestant RVs 75 70 76 76 72 73 71 73 72 69 74 73 76 75
White Catholic RVs 57 53 53 52 51 57 50 53 49 47 46 52 54 51
White Mainline Protestant RVs 56 56 50 50 52 50 52 53 55 51 46 60 60 48
Religiously Unaffiliated RVs 35 31 28 28 22 26 26 26 27 27 27 24 21 25
Black Protestant RVs 1 3 – – – 0 2 1 4 4 2 5 2 3

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Sample Size and Margin of Error

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Survey Dates

The data points in the chart refer to Pew Research Center surveys conducted on the following dates:
Sept. 22-Oct. 4, 2011 (read full survey report)
Nov. 9-14, 2011 (read full survey report)
Jan. 11-16, 2012 (read full survey report)
Feb. 8-12, 2012 (read full survey report)
March 7-11, 2012 (read full survey report)
April 4-15, 2012 (read full survey report)
May 9-June 3, 2012 (read full survey report)
June 7-17, 2012 (read full survey report)
June 28-July 9, 2012 (read full survey report)
July 16-26, 2012 (read full survey report)
Sep. 12-16, 2012 (read full survey report)
Oct. 4-7, 2012 (read full survey report)
Oct. 24-28, 2012 (read full survey report)
Oct. 31- Nov. 4, 2012 (read full survey report)

Question Wording

For details on question wording, see the topline survey results from the latest polling conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, available here (PDF).