6.13.2008
More Insight Into Pagans and Politics
It is difficult to get good poll and survey data relating to modern Pagans. Because we (and other minority faiths) are so small in comparison to the Christian majority, most pollsters don't even bother exploring what people who check "other" in the religion box think about politics and current affairs. There are the occasional hints, but usually we are stuck making educated guesses. So it is with some enthusiasm that I greet a new survey from the Henry Institute at Calvin College which gives some space to what "other faiths" believe.
"...just how much has really changed in terms of the religious terrain and the way in which religion serves to shape political attitudes and preferences? A new survey, commissioned by the Paul B. Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin College and conducted by Opinion Access Corp. of Long Island, New York, gauges the political attitudes and political preferences of 18 distinct American religious communities on a wide variety of issues and addresses these questions. Based on a large sample of 3002 respondents, the results reveal that some important changes are occurring in the way in which religion relates to American politics..."
For this poll, "other faiths" included anyone who wasn't a Christian, Catholic, Jew, Agnostic, or Atheist. Which means that Muslims were classified as "other" along with Buddhists, Hindus, and other "others" (ie Pagans and other groups too small to merit mention). However, Muslim respondents to this survey were quite low (0.2%), while "Hindu, Buddhist, Other" respondents were higher than usual (4.8%)
So given the usual caveats regarding surveys, what have we learned about the religious "others"? Well, we learned that "others" are overwhelmingly aligned with the Democratic party (46%), or label themselves as Independent (32%), with only 22% claiming affiliation to the Republican party. However, Republican party affiliation did grow among the "others" from 12% in 2004 to 22% in 2008, while allegiance to the Democratic party dropped from 55% to the current 46%. This may be cold comfort to the Republican party however, since on issues ranging from free trade to the environment and abortion, "others" seem to overwhelmingly favor Democratic positions.
What do these numbers ultimately tell us? First off, it says that the "other" vote is the Democratic party's to lose in the coming Presidential election, but that no politician should take the minority religion vote for granted. An increasingly large number of "others" are declaring themselves as Independents, and are more likely to be "issues" voters instead of party loyalists. A trend that favors mavericks within the two major parties, and small third-party alternatives.
This survey could point to a unique political identity among the non-monotheist set. Independent-minded, socially liberal, and issues-oriented. A make-up that, as we shift into a post-Christian society, could mean the erosion of the dualistic partisanship we have experienced recently, and the emergence of a key "other faiths" vote.
Recent Pew Forum numbers estimate that "other faiths" only comprise around 2.4% of this nation, so the 4.8% showing in this survey is quite high.
Labels: Democratic Party, Henry Institute National Survey on Religion and Public Life, Paganism, politics, Presidential election, Religion, Republican Party, survey
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