Catholics favored Bush, says survey

Among non-Hispanic Catholics, Kerry won the support of 69 percent of those with liberal or "modernist" beliefs, while 72 percent of "traditionalists" favored Bush. But 55 percent of the key swing group of "centrists" picked Bush over Kerry, who was criticized by bishops for his support of abortion rights.

The upshot: A onetime Democratic mainstay, Catholics gave Bush an overall edge of 53 percent to Kerry's 47 percent.

Overall, the mainline Protestant vote split evenly, the poll suggested, with a Bush decline of 10 percent from 2000 and the best showing for a Democrat since the 1960s.

Divisions between religious liberals and conservatives were even more stark than they were four years ago.

"The American religious landscape was strongly polarized in the 2004 presidential vote and more so than in 2000," concluded the team of four political scientists, led by John C. Green, professor of political science at the University of Akron.

The scholars said Bush's religious constituency included Christian traditionalists in all categories, Mormons, Hispanic Protestants, and religious centrists among Catholics and mainline Protestants.

Kerry's support came from black Protestants and secular Americans, followed by "modernists" among Catholics and mainline Protestants. Jews and Latino Catholics remained loyal Democrats.

Other questions focused on social issues, such as abortion and gay marriage, which were thought to be crucial when Nov. 2 exit polls showed "moral values" were more important to voters than Iraq, terrorism, or the economy.

The study concluded that "social issues were quite important to the Bush vote, but a secondary factor for the electorate as a whole."

The quadrennial Akron surveys are notable for careful interviews of respondents and their religious affiliations, views, and activities. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 2½ percentage points.