Despite the current debate over whether white evangelicals will support a Mormon candidate for President, according to research from PRRI, these two groups share similar political values and beliefs. There are clear parallels between white evangelical Protestants and Mormons on a variety of social and political issues, including the issue of abortion and same-sex marriage, and on the political outlook of both groups.
On social issues like abortion and same-sex marriage, white evangelical Protestants and Mormons aresignificantly more conservative than the general public, and report similar levels of opposition. While a majority (54%) of the general public believes that abortion should be legal in all or most cases, less than one-third of white evangelicals (29%) and Mormons (24%) agree. Roughly two-thirds of white evangelicals (67%) and Mormons (68%) believe abortion should be illegal in all or most cases. On the issue of same-sex marriage, the two groups hold identical views with three-quarters reporting that they oppose allowing gay and lesbian people to marry legally.*
The political outlook of white evangelicals and Mormons is also remarkably similar. Nearly 6-in-10 white evangelicals (58%) and Mormons (58%) identify as politically conservative, while more than 6-in-10 of each group say they are Republican or lean towards the Republican party (63% and 62% respectively). Only about one-quarter of white evangelicals (26%) and Mormons (27%) identify as Democrats or lean towards the Democratic Party.
Note: Unless otherwise noted all data are based on combined surveys conducted by Public Religion Research Institute: Millennials, Abortion, and Religion Survey (April 22 – May 8, 2011) and Millennials, Religion, and Gay & Lesbian Issues Survey (July 14 – 30, 2011).
Total Sample = 6,000; White evangelicals = 1,434; Mormons = 131
* Source: Combined datasets from Millennials, Religion, and Gay & Lesbian Issues Survey (July 14 – 30, 2011), and Pluralism, Immigration, Civic Integration Survey (August 1 – August 14, 2011), Total Sample = 5,450; White Evangelicals = 1,260; Mormons = 107.