Recent survey data from the Pew Research Center indicates that incumbent US President Joe Biden is up against a high unfavorability rating among his fellow Catholics as the US approaches the forthcoming election in November.
His Republican rival, former president Donald Trump, isn’t viewed favourably by a majority of Catholics surveyed either – but Biden is the more unpopular of the two. There also appears to be a correlation between the favourability views held by Catholics and whether they attend Mass or not.
According to the <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2024/03/15/u-s-presidential-candidates-and-their-religious-engagement/#how-favorably-do-americans-view-biden-and-trump" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">survey</mark></a> by Pew, a nonpartisan organisation that conducts public opinion polling, demographic research and other social science research, of the 12,000 US adult respondents, only 35 per cent of Catholics hold a favourable view of Biden while 64 per cent have an unfavourable view of the incumbent president.
Trump, in comparison, is viewed favourably by 42 per cent of US Catholics, while 57 per cent hold an unfavourable view of the former president.
The country’s population of 52 million Catholics constitute 1 in 5 adults in the US, Pew <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/04/12/9-facts-about-us-catholics/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">reports</mark></a>. Among the country's Catholics, 57 per cent are White, 33 per cent are Hispanic, 4 per cent are Asian, 2 per cent are Black, while 3 per cent are of another race.
Trump’s edge over Biden among Catholics comes from white Catholics, with 51 per cent holding a favourable view of the former president (as opposed to 31 per cent of white Catholics who have a favourable view of Biden). Trump is considerably less popular, however, with Hispanic Catholics, among whom only 32 per cent view him favourably.
Other <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2024/04/09/party-identification-among-religious-groups-and-religiously-unaffiliated-voters/#religion-race-and-ethnicity-and-partisanship"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">Catholic-specific results</mark></a> from the survey include what appears an increasing Catholic preference for the Republican Party. Overall, 52 per cent of US Catholics surveyed either identify as Republican or lean Republican. Among white Catholics it climbs to 61 per cent.
While a smaller ratio of Hispanic Catholics align themselves with the Republican side of the political spectrum – 35 per cent – the trending shift toward Republican affiliation by Hispanic Catholics is higher than the one observed among white Catholics, registering an uninterrupted uptick since 2018.
Perhaps most interestingly, Pew’s data reveals a marked difference in political affiliation between Catholics who attend Mass at least monthly or more, compared to those who do not attend so frequently.
Regardless of ethnicity, among all Catholics who attend Mass on a monthly basis or more often, 61 per cent identify with the Republican Party or lean Republican. This includes a majority of both white Catholics (67 per cent) and Hispanic Catholics (52 per cent).<br><br>While both Biden and Trump are <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/super-tuesday-puts-catholics-in-even-tighter-spot-can-you-vote-in-good-conscience-for-either-presidential-candidate/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">unpopular with Catholic voters</mark></a>, Biden has come in for particular criticism based on his being a Catholic – and not being shy of discussing that fact – and his views and comments regarding issues such as <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/president-biden-twists-catholic-teaching-to-defend-abortion-up-to-birth/?swcfpc=1"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">abortion</mark></a> and gender theory that contradict traditional Church teaching.
As the US gears up for the election showdown, amid an increasingly polarised political landscape it has been noted that in recent years there has been an increasing link between conservative commentators and Catholicism. <br><br>Candace Owens, the conservative media personality who recently parted ways with the <em>Daily Wire</em>, announced on 22 April her <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/us-media-star-candace-owens-converts-to-catholicism-at-the-brompton-oratory/?swcfpc=1"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">conversion to Catholicism</mark></a> at the Brompton Oratory in London. <br><em><br>Photo: US President Joe Biden departs St Edmond Catholic Church in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, 21 October 2023. (Photo by KENT NISHIMURA/AFP via Getty Images.)</em>
