White Christians are overwhelmingly backing former President Donald Trump in November, according to recent polling. The Pew Research Center surveyed nearly 10,000 Americans from August 26 to September 2 and found that, while both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are virtually tied (49% to 49%), Trump maintains an advantage on the economy and immigration and leads by wide margins among white Christian voters. On economic issues, Trump holds a 10-point lead (55% to Harris’s 45%), as well as a seven-point lead (52% to Harris’s 45%) on immigration issues.
Trump also holds a strong lead over Harris among white Christians, while Harris leads among all other religious groups. A staggering 82% of white evangelical Protestants back Trump over Harris, as do 61% of white Catholics, and 58% of white non-evangelical Protestants. Meanwhile, Harris has the support of 86% of black Protestants, 85% of atheists, 78% of agnostics, 65% of Hispanic Catholics, and 65% of Jewish voters. The Pew Research Center said that there were not enough Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu respondents to “be able to report on them separately.”
Additionally, Christians who attend church more regularly are more likely to support Trump than Harris, except among black Protestants and white non-evangelical Protestants. Among white evangelical Protestants who attend church less than monthly or “never,” 78% back Trump, while those who attend church once a month or more, 85% back Trump. Among white Catholics who attend church less than monthly or “never,” 58% back Trump, while among those who attend church once a month or more, 65% back Trump. White non-evangelical Protestants who attend church less than monthly or “never” support Trump over Harris 60% to 39%, while those who attend church monthly or more regularly support Trump over Harris 52% to 46%. Black Protestants support Harris over Trump by wide margins (over 70%) regardless of how regularly or infrequently they attend church.
“White Protestants have been the backbone of the Republican coalition for decades, so their support for Trump is not a surprise. They know his administration did much to support the unborn, religious freedom, and Israel,” said FRC Action Director Matt Carpenter in comments to The Washington Stand. He noted that Catholic voters increasingly abandoning the Democratic Party over the past few decades and coalescing around the GOP “should worry the Harris campaign because Catholic voters make up a sizeable portion of the electorate in battleground states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.”
Joseph Backholm, senior fellow for Biblical Worldview at Family Research Council, told TWS, “Harris and Trump each present their own challenges for Christians based on patterns of behavior and patterns of belief. Harris is especially challenging for many Christians because she formally opposes everything God stated about creation in the first two chapters of Genesis.” Backholm noted that Harris supports transgenderism and the LGBT agenda as well as unrestricted abortion. “Trump is a long way from anything resembling a biblical worldview, but he doesn't seem to resist the creation order on principle,” Backholm continued. He explained, “So it’s plausible that those who desire to see society ordered according to God’s plan for humanity would look at this choice and conclude that the Trump option is a less extreme departure from God’s plan for humanity than the Harris option.”
“Culture and tradition also matter, and the fact that race is relevant illustrates that the relationship many people have with their political party is like the relationship they have with their church or denomination. It’s emotional as much as principled,” Backholm added. “So both white and non-white Christians have historic relationships with political parties that don’t dissolve easily and we probably see that.”
The Pew Research Center’s survey found that the economy was ranked as a crucial issue regardless of voters’ religious affiliations, while immigration was a top issue for white evangelical Protestants (79%) and white Catholics (72%). However, abortion is ranked as a more important issue among demographics supporting Harris. Over three-quarters of atheists (77%), 62% of agnostics, 59% of Jewish voters, and 57% of black Protestants say that abortion will play a significant role in which way they vote in November. Meanwhile, 48% of white evangelicals, 44% of white Catholics, and 43% of white non-evangelical Protestants rate abortion as an important issue.
S.A. McCarthy serves as a news writer at The Washington Stand.
