"Catholic Voters Reject Political Influence of Bishops" A New Poll Reveals/CFFC

As the two Catholic candidates for vice president prepare  to face each other in a debate tonight, a new poll of 1,000 self-identified Catholic likely voters shows that, despite the best efforts of the bishops, they are  least concerned about  abortion and gay marriage. Catholic voters are most  concerned  about jobs,  public education and healthcare. Amidst growing concerns about Catholic priests and bishops  using the pulpit and  church resources to tell Catholics  how to vote, a large majority does not feel a religious obligation to listen to them. More than four  out of five Catholic voters (83 percent) feel no obligation to vote the way  bishops recommend and three-quarters of Catholic voters (76 percent)  do not believe Catholic politicians are obligated to vote the way bishops  desire. “As we prepare to vote in this election, we have witnessed a  concerted effort by the US bishops to convince Catholics that some  issues  are more important than others,” said Jon O’Brien, president of Catholics  for Choice.  “The Fortnight for Freedom was just one part of their campaign.  Some bishops and priests have been less subtle, giving explicit voting  advice to congregants. In short, the bishops are trying to bully Catholics to vote in a  certain way. This poll shows that the bishops’ efforts have been a  spectacular failure. Catholics reject this type of politicking from the pulpit and  refuse to  be cowed by their religious leaders. Just like other Americans,  Catholics care  most about the bread and butter issues that affect our families  when we consider the political decisions to be made come November 6.” Denying communion for Catholics because they support  abortion is  very unpopular. There is not a single demographic group that would  support the practice. It is even very unpopular among the most  conservative Catholics voters: 65 percent of those who attend Mass weekly or more;  60 percent of Republicans;  58 percent of those who describe themselves as conservative; and 53 percent of self-described prolife Catholics disagree  with this policy. A strong majority of Catholic voters (79 percent) wants the next  president to make jobs his highest priority. Only 28 percent of Catholic  voters believe abortion should be the highest priority of the next administration. Gay marriage is even less of a priority than abortion among  Catholics, with only 16 percent prioritizing the issue as the most  important. In addition, majorities of Catholics disagree with criminalizing  abortion and do not want priests to withhold communion  from those Catholics who support legal abortion. Those who strongly agree that  abortion should be legal outnumber those who strongly  disagree by a 2:1  margin. John Russonello, partner at Belden Russonello  Strategists,  said, “This poll is one in a long line of polls that all tell the  same two stories: first, Catholics do not listen to their bishops when  making electoral decisions.  In fact, they reject the bishops’ political views and make up their own minds about whom to vote for and what  issues they  care about.  Second, Catholic voting patterns are consistent with those  in the wider electorate. Watch how Catholics vote and predict the vote  for president.” The Catholic vote has been a key indicator of which presidential candidate would win the most votes in every election since 1972, the  year in  which exit polls began keeping track of Catholic voting data.  In the presidential race, President Barack Obama holds a slim  lead over  Mitt Romney among US Catholics: 46 percent of likely Catholic  voters support  Obama while 41 percent support Romney; 12 percent  are undecided. Download the entire poll here. To speak with the polling company, please call John Russonello at (202) 822 6090. Read this press release on the Catholics for Choice website. For Immediate Release 11 October 2012 Media Contact: David J. Nolan 202 986 6093www.CatholicsforChoice.org ### Catholics for Choice shapes and advances sexual and reproductive  ethics that are based on justice, reflect a commitment to  women's well-being and respect and affirm the capacity of women  and men to make moral decisions about their lives.

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