By Dave Andrusko
A new poll, the second of three, commissioned by the Eternal Word Television Network [EWTN] and conducted by the Trafalgar Group “finds that across party lines, Catholics are strongly in favor of restrictions on abortion and support public funding of pro-life pregnancy resource centers,” according to Wallace White.
On the abortion issue, “75% of participants who attend Mass at least once a week agreed with Roe’s reversal.”
The polls are the product of a partnership between EWTN News and RealClear Opinion Research “to conduct a deep-dive poll on Catholic voters’ attitudes and trends ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.”
This poll, taken from September 12 to September 17, reveals that “a vast majority of American Catholic voters who regularly attend Mass support Roe v. Wade‘s reversal, oppose Joe Biden, and favor Republican candidates,” Jean Mondoro reported.
Asked “If the 2022 elections for Congress were held today,” 48% said they would vote Republican while 44% responded that they would vote Democrat. “Additionally, 58% of Catholic voters did not believe Biden should run for re-election, and only 22% would support a second term,” Mondoro said.
Among the highlights EWTN noted
- 58.4% of Catholic voters believe President Joe Biden should not pursue a second term in 2024, while 22.2% believe he should pursue a second term.
- 51.8% of Catholic voters disapprove or strongly disapprove of President Biden’s job performance, while 46.2% approve or strongly approve.
- 73.4% of Catholic voters support limiting abortion to 15 weeks or less. Only 13.4% of Catholic voters support abortion up to the moment of birth.
- 67.4% of Catholic voters support public funding for Pregnancy Resource Centers, where pregnant women can seek help with alternatives to abortion. 18.3% opposed public funding for the centers.
- 60.7% of Catholic voters believe health care workers should not be obligated to engage in procedures that they object to based on moral or religious grounds, while 25.3% believe they should be forced to perform such procedures
“Catholics are historically a swing vote but those who attend Mass at least weekly are unquestionably at odds with this administration even as support from Hispanic Catholics is eroding for the president and his party,” said Matthew Bunson, Executive Editor of EWTN News. “These voters could very well decide who controls the House and Senate.”
Speaking of Hispanic Catholics, Bunson said, “One potentially significant development the poll found”: a “decline in support for the president and Democrats in general among Hispanic Catholics — historically a reliable Democrat voting bloc. When asked how they feel Biden is handling his job as president, 50% of Hispanic Catholics say they strongly approve (11%) or approve (39%), while nearly 47% say they either disapprove (7%) or strongly disapprove (40%).”
The first poll was taken in July. The second poll surveyed 1,581 Catholic voters and has a margin of error of 2.5%. The third and final poll “will be conducted in the days leading up to the midterm elections, which will take place on November 8.”