Gallop Poll: Religious Voters and US Candidates

Those who say religion is not important are split between the candidates, with 46 percent support McCain and 45 percent supporting Obama.

PRINCETON, NJ (CNA) - A new Gallup Poll claims to show that registered voters who say religion is important in their lives tend to support presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain by a margin of 50 to 40 percent, while those who say religion is unimportant to their lives tend to support presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama by a margin of 55 to 36 percent.

About two-thirds of the registered voters surveyed by Gallup said that religion is important to them.

According to the Gallup Poll, which surveyed 95,000 registered voters from March through June 2008, the divide in voting preference is not confined to white Protestants but is manifested among non-Hispanic white Catholics as well.

Non-Hispanic white Catholics who say religion is important in their daily lives support McCain over Obama by 53 percent to 37 percent. Those who say religion is not important slightly favor Obama by a margin of 47 percent to 45 percent.

Hispanic Catholics, black non-Catholic Christians, and those who do not have a specific religious identity reportedly tend to support Barack Obama, but their support apparently is little affected by the importance of religion in their lives.

Hispanic Catholics who say religion is important in their lives support Obama over McCain 57 to 31, while those who say religion is not important support Obama by a margin of 63 to 30 percent.

Among non-Catholic Christians, those who say religion is important in their daily lives support McCain 63 percent to Obama's 27 percent.

Those who say religion is not important are split between the candidates, with 46 percent support McCain and 45 percent supporting Obama.

About 12 percent of Americans who say they have no specific religious identity strongly support Obama. Those among this group who say religion is not important in their lives support Obama over McCain by a margin of 65 to 26 percent.

Among those with no specific religious identity who say religion is important in their lives, Obama wins by a margin of 61 to 28 percent, according to Gallup.

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