A new post-election poll out from Faith in Public Life found that while 21 percent of white evangelicals surveyed voted for President-elect Barack Obama, almost twice that percentage _ 39 percent _ described him as both “friendly” to religion and sharing their values.
“The vote really doesn’t tell the whole story about the way in which Obama connected among white evangelical voters,” said Robert Jones, president of Public Religion Research, in a teleconference with reporters Friday.
His organization conducted the national survey of 1,277 people who voted in the 2008 election.
The poll also found that a majority of white evangelical voters did not attribute their vote for Sen. John McCain to the presence of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin on the GOP ticket.
While 30 percent said her nomination increased their support for the ticket, 54 percent said her selection did not affect their vote. And 14 percent said McCain’s vp pick made them less likely to support him.
These and other findings, which were presented in partnership with Sojourners and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, are posted on Faith in Public Life’s Web site.
