Editorial: Election 2004 Will be Decided by Religion

May 19, 2004

Source: Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-klinghoffer19may19,1,5098403.story

On May 19, 2004 the Los Angeles Times published an editorial noting, "If the last presidential election was any indication, the outcome of November's contest will be decided in large part by voters' religious commitments. The more often you attend church, the more likely you are to vote Republican. What polling data don't tell us is why the religiously observant vote as they do. The statistical trend is striking. In 2000, Voter News Service reported that the 14% of voters who attended religious services more than once a week voted for George W. Bush over Al Gore by 63% to 36%. Meanwhile, the 14% who never went to services supported Gore over Bush by an equally commanding margin, 61% to 32%. What is it about the policy positions and cultural attitudes described as Republican or conservative that makes them so attractive to religious voters?"