What Do Americans Think of Evangelical Voters?

Below is some new data from George Barna.

In general, evangelical voters are perceived with a mix of skepticism and respect. Americans are not always sure what to make of evangelicals, but they believe the voting bloc has significant influence. Barna examined eight perceptions of evangelical voters. Four of the statements represented the most widely-held views:

that evangelicals will have a significant influence effect on the election outcome (59% of American adults said this was either "very" or "somewhat accurate" regarding evangelical voters);

that evangelicals will cause the political conversation to be more conservative (59%);

that they will be spend too much time complaining and not enough time solving problems (59%);

and that they will be misunderstood and unfairly described by news media (56%).

Surprisingly, given the attention that moral issues have received in connection with evangelicals, only half of Americans (52%) felt that evangelical voters would focus primarily on homosexuality and abortion.

Roughly half said that evangelicals will minimize social justice issues (47%) and another 47% felt they believe that evangelicals will vote overwhelmingly Republican. Roughly two out of every five Americans (44%) believed evangelicals will not approach the election with an open mind.

For the full report (which contains a lot more info) check out the Barna Group's site.


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