Participation by Catholics in the UK’s next General Election is likely to be particularly high, according to the <a href="https://catholicunion.org.uk"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">Catholic Union of Great Britain</mark></a>.
A <a href="https://catholicunion.org.uk/2024/04/catholics-getting-ready-to-vote/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">survey</mark></a> of the Catholic Union’s members and supporters found that just over 90 per cent of responders were planning to vote in the upcoming General Election.
The figure is significantly higher than the average turnout for national polls, showing the importance for Catholic voters of this next election. Average turnout for the past three General Elections stands at 67 percent nationally.
“These results show that faith is not something that can be put in a box and kept out of public life,” says Deputy Director of the Catholic Union James Somerville-Meikle.
“Faith is hugely important in terms of motivating people to vote and in deciding how to use that vote. There are over 4.5 million Catholics in Britain so this is not a community that politicians can afford to ignore.”
As noted in the leader for the April edition of the <em>Catholic Herald</em> magazine, it “is a bleak time to be pro-life", given that “the holistic vision of human life from conception to natural death as being invested with dignity and worthy of respect is being steadily undermined by legislatures.” <br><br>In Britain and Ireland there are concerted moves to introduce assisted dying into law. In his Easter message, the Bishop of Shrewsbury <mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color"><a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/englands-christian-inheritance-at-stake-in-uk-general-election/?swcfpc=1">said</a> </mark>that England’s "Christian inheritance" is at stake in this forthcoming General Election.
The Catholic Union survey also found a strong link between politics and religion, with 92 per cent of people saying that their faith and the teachings of the Catholic Church “help to influence” how they vote.
The results from the survey highlight the potential impact of Catholic groups and charities ahead of the next General Election. The 4.5 million Catholics in the UK are the largest religious minority group in the country and one of the most politically active.
The top five issues identified in the survey as being of most concern to Catholics ahead of the election were care for the poor, religious freedom, family life, education and life issues.
The Catholic Union will be using the results of the survey to inform a special election publication which will contain some key themes and questions for candidates ahead of the election.
“I strongly encourage Catholics in this country, and everybody, to get involved and make your voice heard,” says Vice President of the Catholic Union Mike Kane<strong>. “</strong>Whatever your views, please make sure that you vote. Taking part in free and fair elections is a great gift and we should not take it for granted.”
The Prime Minister has indicated, and most political commentators concur, that the election will take place in the second half of 2024.
The recent<mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color"> <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/new-vatican-document-applauded-for-transcending-liberal-and-conservative-perspectives-to-tackle-modern-misconceptions-on-human-dignity/?swcfpc=1">declaration</a></mark> by the Vatican on the paramount importance of human dignity when it comes to a number of the issues being debated by politicians may well serve as a rallying cry for Catholics as they head to the polls later this year.
And it's not just UK Catholics facing tough choices at the polls – in November it increasingly appears likely that Catholics in the US will have a <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/super-tuesday-puts-catholics-in-even-tighter-spot-can-you-vote-in-good-conscience-for-either-presidential-candidate/?swcfpc=1"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">choice between</mark></a> electing President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump as the country with the largest number of Catholics in the developed world heads to the polls. <br><em><br>Photo: Two women walk towards the doorway at 10 Downing Street surrounded by a 'Pride Month' installation, London, England, 29 June 2021. The installation, made of rainbow-coloured jute string, was designed by artists Louisa Loizeau and Hattie Newman. June is when many LGBTQ+ 'Pride' parades take place around the world. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images.)</em>
Participation by Catholics in the UK’s next General Election is likely to be particularly high, according to the <a href="https://catholicunion.org.uk"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">Catholic Union of Great Britain</mark></a>.
A <a href="https://catholicunion.org.uk/2024/04/catholics-getting-ready-to-vote/"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">survey</mark></a> of the Catholic Union’s members and supporters found that just over 90 per cent of responders were planning to vote in the upcoming General Election.
The figure is significantly higher than the average turnout for national polls, showing the importance for Catholic voters of this next election. Average turnout for the past three General Elections stands at 67 percent nationally.
“These results show that faith is not something that can be put in a box and kept out of public life,” says Deputy Director of the Catholic Union James Somerville-Meikle.
“Faith is hugely important in terms of motivating people to vote and in deciding how to use that vote. There are over 4.5 million Catholics in Britain so this is not a community that politicians can afford to ignore.”
As noted in the leader for the April edition of the <em>Catholic Herald</em> magazine, it “is a bleak time to be pro-life", given that “the holistic vision of human life from conception to natural death as being invested with dignity and worthy of respect is being steadily undermined by legislatures.” <br><br>In Britain and Ireland there are concerted moves to introduce assisted dying into law. In his Easter message, the Bishop of Shrewsbury <mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color"><a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/englands-christian-inheritance-at-stake-in-uk-general-election/?swcfpc=1">said</a> </mark>that England’s "Christian inheritance" is at stake in this forthcoming General Election.
The Catholic Union survey also found a strong link between politics and religion, with 92 per cent of people saying that their faith and the teachings of the Catholic Church “help to influence” how they vote.
The results from the survey highlight the potential impact of Catholic groups and charities ahead of the next General Election. The 4.5 million Catholics in the UK are the largest religious minority group in the country and one of the most politically active.
The top five issues identified in the survey as being of most concern to Catholics ahead of the election were care for the poor, religious freedom, family life, education and life issues.
The Catholic Union will be using the results of the survey to inform a special election publication which will contain some key themes and questions for candidates ahead of the election.
“I strongly encourage Catholics in this country, and everybody, to get involved and make your voice heard,” says Vice President of the Catholic Union Mike Kane<strong>. “</strong>Whatever your views, please make sure that you vote. Taking part in free and fair elections is a great gift and we should not take it for granted.”
The Prime Minister has indicated, and most political commentators concur, that the election will take place in the second half of 2024.
The recent<mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color"> <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/new-vatican-document-applauded-for-transcending-liberal-and-conservative-perspectives-to-tackle-modern-misconceptions-on-human-dignity/?swcfpc=1">declaration</a></mark> by the Vatican on the paramount importance of human dignity when it comes to a number of the issues being debated by politicians may well serve as a rallying cry for Catholics as they head to the polls later this year.
And it's not just UK Catholics facing tough choices at the polls – in November it increasingly appears likely that Catholics in the US will have a <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/super-tuesday-puts-catholics-in-even-tighter-spot-can-you-vote-in-good-conscience-for-either-presidential-candidate/?swcfpc=1"><mark style="background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)" class="has-inline-color has-vivid-cyan-blue-color">choice between</mark></a> electing President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump as the country with the largest number of Catholics in the developed world heads to the polls. <br><em><br>Photo: Two women walk towards the doorway at 10 Downing Street surrounded by a 'Pride Month' installation, London, England, 29 June 2021. The installation, made of rainbow-coloured jute string, was designed by artists Louisa Loizeau and Hattie Newman. June is when many LGBTQ+ 'Pride' parades take place around the world. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images.)</em>
