Religion (3)

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Religion (p. 3)

Polls listed chronologically. Data are from nationwide surveys of Americans 18 & older.

CBS News Poll. May 20-23, 2004. N=923 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"Do you think it is appropriate for political candidates to talk about their religious beliefs as part of their political campaigns, or do you think this is not appropriate?"
					.
		Appropriate	Not Appropriate	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	50	47	3
	Catholics	49	47	4
					.
"Do you think it is appropriate for religious leaders to urge people to vote for or against a political candidate, or is that not appropriate?"
					.
		Appropriate	Not Appropriate	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	33	63	4
	Catholics	38	61	1
					.
"Do you think it is appropriate for Catholic bishops to refuse to give communion to elected officials who publicly disagree with the Church's position on issues like abortion, or is that not appropriate?"
					.
		Appropriate	Not Appropriate	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	19	72	9
	Catholics	17	78	5
					.
"Some people say that they like the way George W. Bush talks in public about his strong religious beliefs. Others say that this bothers them somewhat. What about you? Do you like the way George W. Bush talks in public about his religious beliefs, or does this bother you somewhat?"
					.
		Like It	Bothered By It	Unsure
		%	%	%
	ALL	51	36	13
	Catholics	52	34	14

Gallup Poll. May 2-4, 2004. N=1,000 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"How often do you attend church or synagogue: at least once a week, almost every week, about once a month, seldom, or never?"
						.
		At Least Once a Week	Almost Every Week	About Once a Month	Seldom	Never
		%	%	%	%	%
	5/04	28	14	14	31	12
	5/03	33	13	14	27	12
	12/02	31	14	18	29	7
	5/02	31	11	14	28	16
	3/02	34	12	13	28	12
	12/01	34	11	15	28	12
	6/01	30	11	12	29	18
	2/01	30	12	15	29	13
	8/00	35	11	15	27	11
	3/00	36	11	13	30	10
	12/99	36	12	16	28	8
	5/99	30	14	18	28	9
	6/98	32	13	19	26	9
	1/98	32	12	15	30	10
	1992	31	9	15	29	16
						.
"What is your religious preference: Protestant, Roman Catholic, Jewish, or an Orthodox religion, such as the Greek or Russian Orthodox Church?"
						.
		5/04	2000	1990	1980	1970
		%	%	%	%	%
	Protestant	50	52	56	61	65
	Christian (non-specific)	9	5	n/a	n/a	n/a
	Catholic	23	25	25	28	26
	Jewish	2	2	2	2	3
	Orthodox	1	1	1	1	-
	Mormon	1	2	1	n/a	n/a
	Other specific	3	4	4	1	2
	None	10	8	9	7	3
	Undesignated	1	2	2	-	-

ABC News PrimeTime Poll. Feb. 6-10, 2004. N=1,011 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"I'm going to ask about a few stories in the Bible. [See below.] Do you think that's literally true, meaning it happened that way word-for-word; or do you think it's meant as a lesson, but not to be taken literally?"
					.
		Literally True	Not Literally True	Unsure
		%	%	%
					.
	"The story of Noah and the ark in which it rained for 40 days and nights, the entire world was flooded, and only Noah, his family and the animals on their ark survived."
		60	33	7
					.
	"The creation story in which the world was created in six days."
		61	30	8
					.
	"The story about Moses parting the Red Sea so the Jews could escape from Egypt."
		64	28	8
					.
"On another subject, do you think all Jews today bear responsibility for the death of Jesus, or not?"
					.
		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
		8	80	12

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. Sept. 23-24, 2003. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"Do you think religion plays too large or too small a role in most people's lives today?"
						.
		Too Large	Too Small	About Right (vol.)	Unsure
		%	%	%	%
	9/03	15	69	7	9
	1/01	10	68	9	13
	3/99	10	73	6	11
	6/96	14	70	4	11
						.
"Do you personally believe in the existence of each of the following? . . . "
						.
		Believe	Don't Believe	Unsure		.
		%	%	%		.
	God	92	5	3		.
	Heaven	85	10	5		.
	Miracles	82	14	4		.
	Angels	78	15	7		.
	Hell	74	20	6		.
	The Devil	71	24	5		.
	UFOs	34	55	11		.
	Ghosts	34	60	6		.
	Astrology	29	64	7		.
	Reincarnation	25	62	13		.
	Witches	24	69	7		.

CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll. Sept. 19-21, 2003. N=1,003 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"Please say whether you approve or disapprove of each of the following. How about [see below]?"
		Approve	Disapprove	No Opinion	.
		%	%	%	.
	"The use of federal funds to support social programs like day care and drug rehabilitation run by Islamic religious organizations"
		41	56	3	.
					.
	"The use of federal funds to support social programs like day care and drug rehabilitation run by Christian religious organizations"
		64	34	2	.
					.
	"The inscription 'In God We Trust' on U.S. coins"
		90	8	2	.
					.
	"A non-denominational prayer as part of the official program at a public school ceremony such as a graduation or a sporting event"
		78	21	1	.
					.
	"Display of a monument to the Ten Commandments in a public school or government building"
		70	29	1	.
					.
	"Display of a monument with a verse from the Koran, the holy book of the Islamic religion, in a public school or government building"
		33	64	3	.
					.
"Which comes closest to your opinion about displays of religion in public places or government buildings: it is acceptable to display only Christian symbols, it is acceptable to display Christian symbols as long as symbols of other religions are also displayed, or it is unacceptable to display any religious symbols at all?" Options rotated
				%	.
	Acceptable to display only Christian symbols			10	.
	Acceptable to display Christian symbols, as long as others displayed, too			58	.
	Unacceptable to display any religious symbols			29	.
	No opinion			3	.
					.
"Which comes closer to your view: government can promote the teachings of a religion without harming the rights of people who do not belong to that religion, OR, any time government promotes the teachings of a religion, it can harm the rights of people who do not belong to that religion?" Options rotated
				%	.
	Can promote religion without harming rights			40	.
	Promoting religion can always harm rights			54	.
	No opinion			6	.

ABC News Poll. Sept. 4-7, 2003. N=1,004 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"Do you feel you do or do not have a good basic understanding of the teachings and beliefs of Islam, the Muslim religion?"
		Do	Do Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/03	33	64	3
	10/02	25	73	2
	1/02	31	61	8
	10/01	34	65	1
					.
"Would you say you have a generally favorable or unfavorable opinion of Islam?"
		Favorable	Unfav- orable	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/03	39	38	23
	10/02	42	33	26
	1/02	41	24	35
	10/01	47	39	13
					.
"Every religion has mainstream beliefs, and also fringe elements or extremists. Thinking of mainstream Islam, do you think mainstream Islam teaches respect for the beliefs of non-Muslims, or not?" Half-sample (Form A)
		Does	Does Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/03	31	43	26
	10/02	37	35	28
	1/02	41	22	38
					.
"Do you think Islam teaches respect for the beliefs of non-Muslims, or not?" Half-sample (Form B)
		Does	Does Not	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/03	25	44	30
					.
"Do you think mainstream Islam encourages violence against non-Muslims, or is it a peaceful religion?" Half-sample (Form A)
		Encourages Violence	Peaceful	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/03	34	46	20
	10/02	23	53	25
	1/02	14	57	29
					.
"Do you think Islam encourages violence against non-Muslims, or is it a peaceful religion?" Half-sample (Form B)
		Encourages Violence	Peaceful	Unsure
		%	%	%
	9/03	36	45	19

*CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll*. Aug. 25-26, 2003. Nationwide.
						.
"Do you think federal courts have generally been supportive, neutral, or hostile toward Christian religions in their rulings?" Options rotated; Form A (N=514, MoE ą 5)
		Supportive	Neutral	Hostile	No Opinion
		%	%	%	%
	8/03	16	42	33	9
						.
"Do you approve or disapprove of a federal court decision ordering an Alabama court to remove a monument to the Ten Commandments from public display in its building?" Form B (N=495, MoE ą 5)
		Approve	Disapprove	No Opinion
		%	%	%
	8/03	19	77	4

ABC News/Washington Post Poll. Dec. 12-15, 2002. N=1,209 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"Overall, would you say you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the Catholic Church?"
		Favorable	Unfav- orable	No Opinion	.
		%	%	%	.
	ALL adults:
	12/02	40	52	8
	6/02	47	45	7
	3/02	55	34	11
	2/02	63	27	11

	Catholics:
	12/02	69	30	2
	6/02	70	28	2
	3/02	73	24	3
	2/02	88	9	4
					.
"Do you approve or disapprove of the way the Catholic Church is handling the issue of sexual abuse of children by priests?"
		Approve	Disap- prove	No Opinion	.
		%	%	%	.
	ALL adults:
	12/02	20	76	4
	6/02	22	73	5
	4/02	25	59	16
					.
	Catholics:
	12/02	27	69	4
	6/02	34	63	3
	4/02	35	59	7

*CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll*. Dec. 9-10, 2002. N=1,009 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
					.
"Do you happen to be a member of a church or synagogue?"

		Yes	No
		%	%
	12/02	66	34
	3/02	64	36
	12/01	66	34
	2/01	65	35
	8/00	68	32
	3/00	68	32
	12/99	68	32
	5/99	71	29
	6/98	70	30
	1/98	67	33
	1995	69	31
	1990	69	31
	1985	71	29
	1979	68	32
	1976	71	29
	1965	73	27
	1952	73	27
	1944	75	25
	1937	73	27

"Did you, yourself, happen to attend church or synagogue in the last seven days, or not?"

		Yes	No
		%	%
	12/02	43	57
	3/02	44	56
	12/01	41	59
	11/01	42	58
	9/01	47	53
	5/01	41	59
	2/01	41	59
	8/00	43	57
	3/00	44	56
	12/99	45	55
	5/99	40	60
	6/98	40	60
	1/98	39	61
	1990	40	60
	1985	42	58
	1979	40	60
	1972	40	60
	1962	46	54
	1957	47	53
	1950	39	61
	1939	41	59

"Would you describe yourself as 'born-again' or evangelical?"

		Yes	No	Unsure
		%	%	%
	12/02	46	48	6
	3/02	46	50	4
	12/01	42	49	9
	2/01	45	49	6
	8/00	44	50	6
	3/00	46	47	7
	12/99	46	48	6
	5/99	45	47	8
	6/98	44	48	8
	1/98	49	43	8
	1991	41	54	5

*CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll*. Nov. 22-24, 2002. N=240 Catholic adults nationwide. MoE ą 7.
			.
"As you may know, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has adopted a new policy concerning the problem of sexual abuse committed by priests. How much confidence do you have in the bishops in the United States to deal appropriately with this problem: a great deal of confidence, some, not much, or no confidence at all?"
			.
		Catholics
		%
	A great deal	18
	Some	42
	Not much	27
	None at all	13

*ABC News/Washington Post* Poll**. June 26-30, 2002. N=1,024 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
			.
"The Pledge of Allegiance says the United States is one nation 'under God.' A federal court in California has ruled that the Pledge cannot be recited in public schools because this phrase violates the constitutional separation of church and state. Do you support or oppose this court ruling?"
.
		%
	Support	14
	Oppose	84
	No opinion	2

"Do you think the phrase 'under God' [rotate:] should remain in the Pledge of Allegiance OR should be removed from the Pledge of Allegiance?"
.
		%
	Should remain	89
	Should be removed	10
	No opinion	1

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. June 27-28, 2002. N=1,000 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
				.
"As you may know, a federal appeals court ruled this week that the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional and cannot be recited in schools because the phrase 'under God' violates the separation of church and state. Do you think the phrase 'under God' should or should NOT be part of the Pledge of Allegiance?"
		%
	Should	87
	Should not	9
	Don't know	4
				.
"Thinking about the issue of separation of church and state in this country today, in general, do you think the government should avoid promoting religion in any way, or not?"
		%
	Should avoid	36
	Should not	54
	Don't know	10
				.
"When our government leaders publicly express their faith in God, on balance, do you think it's good for the country, bad for the country, or doesn't have much effect either way?"
		%
	Good for country	60
	Bad for country	4
	Not much effect	33
	Don't know	3
				.
"Which ONE of the following two statements comes closer to your view? It should be government policy to eliminate all references to God and religious belief in schools, government buildings and other public settings. These references should be allowed in public provided they don't mention a SPECIFIC religion."
			%
	Eliminate all references		12
	Don't mention specific religion		84
	Don't know		4
				.
"Which ONE of the following three statements comes closer to your view? The United States is a Christian nation. The United States is a Biblical nation, defined by the Judeo-Christian tradition. The United States is a secular nation in which religious belief, or lack of it, isn't a defining characteristic."
		%
	A Christian nation	29
	A Biblical nation	16
	A secular nation	45
	Don't know	10

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. June 26-27, 2002. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.
						.
"As you may have heard, a federal appeals court has ruled that the Pledge of Allegiance is an unconstitutional endorsement of religion and cannot be recited in public schools because it contains the phrase 'under God.' Do you agree or disagree with the court's decision that the Pledge is an unconstitutional endorsement of religion?"
.
		ALL	Democrats	Republicans	Independents
		%	%	%	%	.
	Agree	12	16	7	11	.
	Disagree	83	77	90	85	.
	Don't know	5	7	2	3	.

*CNN/Time* Poll** conducted by Harris Interactive. June 19-20, 2002. N=1,003 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1.
					.
"Here are some ways people describe their own religious beliefs. Please tell me whether each of the following describes you or does not describe you. . . ."
		Describes	Does Not Describe	Unsure
		%	%	%
	Born again	34	64	2
	Fundamentalist	18	74	8
	Evangelical	15	80	5
					.
		ALL	Fundamentalist	Evangelical
		%	%	%
"Which of these statements comes closest to describing your feelings about the Bible? The Bible is the actual word of God and is to be taken literally, word for word. The Bible is the word of God, but not everything in it should be taken literally, word for word. The Bible is a book written by men and is not the word of God."
	To be taken literally	36	55	64
	Should not be taken literally	44	37	33
	Not the word of God	15	6	2
	Not sure	5	2	1
					.
"As you may know, the last book of the New Testament, called the Book of Revelation, contains passages which some people say predict how the world will end. Do you think the events described in the Book of Revelation will occur at some point in the future or don't you think so?"
	Yes, will	59	77	83
	Don't think so	33	15	13
	Not sure	8	8	4
					.
"Do you think that the end of the world, as predicted in the Book of Revelation, will happen in your lifetime or don't you think so?"
	Yes, will	17	25	31
	Don't think so	32	37	36
	Not sure	10	15	16
	Don't think Book of Revelation predicts end of world (vol.)	41	23	17
					.
"Do you think that the terrorist attacks of September 11th were predicted by the Book of Revelation or don't you think so?"
	Yes, were	23	34	38
	Don't think so	64	53	51
	Not sure	13	13	11
					.
"As a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11th, do you find that you are paying more attention to how news events might relate to the end of the world or don't you find that you are paying more attention?"
	Yes, paying more attention	35	37	42
	Not paying more attention	62	60	55
	Not sure	3	3	3

FOX News/Opinion Dynamics Poll. June 18-19, 2002. N=900 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.
				.
"At the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops last week, the bishops voted to remove priests from the ministry who commit even one act of sexual abuse, but let them remain priests. Do you think the church's proposed new policy is tough enough or not?"
		%
	Tough enough	18
	Not tough enough	74
	Not sure	8

"How confident are you that the Catholic Church is now doing everything possible to prevent future sexual abuse of children by priests . . . ?"
		ALL	Catholics
		%	%
	Very confident	12	20
	Somewhat confident	28	38
	Not very confident	24	18
	Not at all confident	29	21
	Not sure	7	3

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). June 8-10, 2002. N=1,008 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.1.
			.
"Which of the following better describes what the Catholic Church is doing in its investigation of sexual abuse? The Catholic Church is trying to get all the facts and deal with the whole situation. OR, The Catholic Church is trying to cover up things to avoid more damage and get the situation behind them."
		%
	Get all the facts	22
	Avoid more damage	68
	Depends (vol.)	3
	Not sure	7
			.
"As you may know, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops plans to make apologies to victims of abuse, remove priests found guilty of abuse, and adopt mandatory reporting of child sexual abuse to government authorities. By taking these steps, would you say that the Catholic Church is going far enough in addressing the issue, or does the Catholic Church need to do more?"
		%
	Going far enough	23
	Needs to do more	70
	Going too far (vol.)	1
	Not sure	6
			.
"Do you favor or oppose an absolute policy that would banish from the Church any priests who have been proven to have committed sexual abuse of minors?"
		%
	Favor	91
	Oppose	5
	Not sure	4
			.
"Do you favor or oppose a policy that would remove any Catholic bishop or cardinal if he knew that any priest had been sexually abusing young people and had moved the priest to another parish instead of reporting him to the police?"
		%
	Favor	89
	Oppose	7
	Not sure	4

ABC News Poll. June 7-9, 2002. N=1,004 adults nationwide (MoE ą 3), including 225 Catholics (MoE ą 6.5).
					.
"What do you think should be done in the case of a priest who has sexually abused one adolescent child once in the past, with no further accusations? Should all such priests be automatically removed from the priesthood, or should some be allowed to remain as priests after receiving psychological treatment, review and monitoring?"
		Removed	Remain	No Opinion	.
		%	%	%	.
	ALL adults	82	16	2
	Catholics	81	17	1
					.
"For each of the following items I mention, please tell me if you think it has or has not contributed to the problem of sexual abuse of children by priests. . . ."
		Has	Has Not	No Opinion	.
		%	%	%	.
	"The church's policy of not allowing priests to marry"
	ALL adults	75	23	3
	Catholics	67	31	2
					.
	"The practice of not calling the police when a priest is accused of sexual abuse"
	ALL adults	95	3	2
	Catholics	97	3	1
					.
	"The number of priests who are homosexuals"
	ALL adults	69	25	6
	Catholics	67	29	4
					.
	"Inadequate screening and preparation of priest candidates in the seminaries"
	ALL adults	79	13	8
	Catholics	83	12	5

*CNN/USA Today/Gallup* Poll. May 28-29, 2002. N=1,003 adults nationwide (MoE ą 3), including 256 Catholics (MoE ą 7):
					.
"Next, we'd like to ask you some questions about the Catholic Church. First: Overall, do you think the Catholic Church has done a good job or a bad job in dealing with the problem of sexual abuse committed by its priests?"
		Good Job	Bad Job	No Opinion	.
		%	%	%	.
	ALL adults:
	5/28-29/02	12	79	9
	4/29 - 5/1/02	18	73	9
	3/02	17	68	15
					.
	Catholics:
	5/28-29/02	20	75	5
	4/29 - 5/1/02	24	70	6
	3/02	20	72	8
					.
"If a Catholic bishop or cardinal knew that a priest had been sexually abusing young people and had moved the priest to another parish rather than report him to the police, do you think the Pope should or should not remove that bishop or cardinal as head of that diocese?"
		Catholics
		Should	Should Not	No Opinion
		%	%	%
	5/28-29/02	87	9	4
	4/29 - 5/1/02	86	9	5
					.
"What should the Church do with a priest who has been found guilty of sexually abusing a young person in the past? Should the Church [rotate:] remove him from the priesthood altogether, remove him from any parish or personal contact with any of the laity but not dismiss him from the priesthood, or allow him to remain in a parish or other ministry if he apologizes and successfully goes through counseling?"
			Catholics
			%
	Remove him altogether		77
	Remove him from contact		13
	Allow him to remain		5
	No opinion		5
					.
"What should the Church do in the future with a priest who is found guilty of sexually abusing young people? Should the Church [rotate:] remove him from the priesthood altogether, remove him from any parish or personal contact with any of the laity, but not dismiss him from the priesthood, or allow him to remain in a parish or other ministry if he apologizes and successfully goes through counseling?"
			Catholics
			%
	Remove him altogether		82
	Remove him from contact		12
	Allow him to remain		3
	No opinion		3

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. April 25-26, 2002. N=1,000 adults nationwide (MoE ą 3), including 261 Catholics (MoE ą 7):
				.
		ALL	Catholics
		%	%
"Do you think priests who sexually abuse children and young people are a SERIOUS problem for the Catholic Church, SOMEWHAT of a problem, or NOT a problem?"
	Serious problem	87	85
	Somewhat of a problem	9	12
	Not a problem	2	2
	Don' t know	2	1
				.
"Do you think the Catholic Church is too harsh, too lenient, or about right in dealing with priests who sexually abuse children and young people?"
	Too harsh	2	3
	Too lenient	82	81
	About right	8	10
	Don' t know	8	6
				.
"Now thinking about the recent meeting of U.S. cardinals with the Pope John Paul II and other church officials at the Vatican: From what you've seen, heard or read since the meeting, do you think the Pope has moved Church policy in a clear direction toward dealing with the problem of sexual abuse by priests, OR that he has left the situation ambiguous by not making clear if the Church should remove priests who sexually abuse children or young people?"
	Moved policy in clear direction	26	30
	Left situation ambiguous	56	57
	Don' t know	18	13
				.
"Regardless of what the Pope has done, do you feel the meeting at the Vatican attended by the U.S. cardinals went a long way to solving the problem of sexual abuse by priests, was a good start, or didn't really go far enough?"
	Went a long way	5	8
	Was a good start	41	47
	Didn't really go far enough	44	40
	Don' t know	10	5
				.
"Which ONE of the following statements about sexual abuse of children and young people by priests do you agree with more? "Priests are more likely to sexually abuse children and young people than other groups with easy access to young people such as teachers, coaches, and youth organization leaders. "Priests are NOT more likely to sexually abuse young people than these other groups but abuse by priests seems more shocking because they have taken a vow to abstain from sex. "Or do you agree with NEITHER of these two statements?"
	More likely to be abusers	15	9
	Just seems more shocking	62	72
	Neither	17	15
	Don' t know	6	4
				.
"If the Catholic Church were to change its policy and allow priests to marry, do you think it would reduce the problem of priests sexually abusing children and young people, OR that it wouldn't make much difference in reducing this problem?"
	Would reduce the problem	47	46
	Wouldn't make much difference	46	51
	Don' t know	7	3
				.
"Do you think the number of homosexual men in the priesthood is a major reason, a minor reason, or not a reason for the Catholic Church's current sex abuse scandal?"
	Major reason	31	29
	Minor reason	27	26
	Not a reason	42	45
				.
"If the Catholic Church were to take steps to more effectively screen out homosexuals from the priesthood, do you think it would reduce the problem of priests sexually abusing children and young people, OR that it wouldnt make much difference in reducing this problem?"
	Would reduce the problem	35	35
	Wouldn't make much difference	55	59
	Don' t know	10	6
				.
"Do you think homosexual men are less able than heterosexual men to control their sexual impulses and live a priest's chaste life?"
	Yes	23	22
	No	57	61
	Don' t know	20	17

ABC News.com Poll. March 22-26, 2000. N=1,011 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
			.
"At public school activities such as sporting events, do you think students should or should not be permitted to use the public address system to lead the audience in religious prayers?"
		%
	Should be permitted	67
	Should not be	27
	No opinion	6

*CNN/Time* Poll** conducted by Harris Interactive. March 13-14, 2002. N=1,014 adults nationwide (MoE ą 3.1), including 281 Catholics.
					.
		ALL	Catholics	Non- Catholics	.
		%	%	%	.
"In your opinion, are the recent cases in which priests have been accused of sexually abusing children isolated cases or are they part of a pattern of abuse?"
	Isolated cases	38	50	35
	Part of a pattern	50	40	54
	Not sure	12	10	11
					.
"And based on what you have heard or read, how well would you say the leaders of the Catholic Church have handled alleged incidents of priests sexually abusing children: very well, fairly well, fairly poorly, or very poorly?"
	Very well	7	9	7
	Fairly well	22	27	19
	Fairly poorly	24	24	23
	Very poorly	40	36	42
	Not sure	7	4	9
					.
"If it turns out that some Catholic bishops knew that priests had been sexually abusing children and relocated them to other churches, rather than reporting them to the authorities, do you think those bishops should step down from their positions or don't you think so?"
	Should step down	88	86	89
	Don't think so	9	13	7
	Not sure	3	1	4

The Los Angeles Times Poll. Aug. 11-13, 2000. N=1,227 registered voters nationwide. MoE ą 3.
.
"Generally speaking, do you think that Jews have too much influence in this country, about the right amount of influence or too little influence in this country?"
		%
	Too much	10
	Right amount	52
	Too little	10
	Don't know	28
.
"Do you think that anti-Semitism in the United States is currently a very serious problem, somewhat of a problem, not much of a problem or not a problem at all?"
			%
	A very serious problem		17
	Somewhat of a problem		46
	Not much of a problem		22
	Not a problem at all		6
	Don't know		9
				.
"Some people feel that certain religions or ethnic groups are not compatible with their own beliefs or philosophies, while others are not bothered by these differences. How about you? In particular, if you honestly thought about it, would you say that you have at least some feelings of prejudice toward Jewish people in the United States, or do you not have those feelings?"
			%
	Some feelings of prejudice		6
	Do not have those feelings		92
	Don't know		2

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. April 13-14, 2000. N=752 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.
			.
"We're interested in people's religious beliefs. Do you believe in God, or not?"
		%
	Yes	94
	No	4
	Don't know	2
			.
"Do you believe that God performs miracles?"
		%
	Yes	84
	No/Don't believe in God	12
	Don't know	4
			.
"Do you believe that Satan or the Devil exists?"
		%
	Yes	75
	No	19
	Don't know	6
			.
"Do you believe that the miracles described in the Bible actually took place, or did not take place?"
		%
	Yes, actually took place	79
	No, did not take place	10
	Don't know	11
			.
"Have you personally ever experienced or witnessed what you consider to be a miracle, or not?"
		%
	Have	48
	Have not	49
	Don't know	3
			.
"Have you ever prayed to God or a saint for a miracle?"
		%
	Yes	67
	No	30
	Don't know	3

ABC News.com Poll. Jan. 19-23, 2000. N=1,004 adults nationwide. MoE ą 3.
.
"Do you think candidates for president should publicly discuss their religious beliefs, or keep their religious beliefs to themselves?"
		%
	Discuss	45
	Keep to themselves	47
	No opinion	7

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. Oct. 21-22, 1999. N=755 adults nationwide. MoE ą 4.
						.
"Now, regarding your own religious beliefs: Do you believe that the world will end, as the Bible predicts, in a battle at Armageddon between Jesus and the Antichrist?"
		ALL Adults	ALL Christians	Evangelical Protestants	Other Protestants	Catholics
		%	%	%	%	%
	Yes	40	45	71	28	18
	No	42	39	18	54	57
	Don't know	18	16	11	18	25
						.
	Asked of those who believe in biblical prophecy about Armageddon: "Do you believe the Antichrist is on Earth now?"
		%
	Yes	47
	No	31
	Don't know	22
						.
	Asked of those who believe in biblical prophecy about Armageddon: "Do you believe that Jesus will return to Earth in your lifetime? Do you believe Jesus might return as early as the year 2000, or not?"
			%
	As early as 2000		15
	In lifetime, not as early as 2000		21
	In lifetime, not sure when		9
	Not in lifetime		55

NBC News/Wall Street Journal Poll conducted by the polling organizations of Peter Hart (D) and Robert Teeter (R). June 16-19, 1999. N=2,011 adults nationwide:
			.
"Let me read you two positions on school prayer. Between these positions, which do you tend to side with more? Position A: Government should allow prayer in public schools. Position B: Government should preserve a clear separation between church and state."
		%
	A. Should allow prayer	65
	B. Should preserve clear separation	31
	Not sure	4

*Gallup/CNN/USA Today* Poll.** June 11-13, 1999. N=1,022 adults nationwide.
			.
"Thinking about gay marriages -- that is, marriages between two people of the same sex: Do you approve or disapprove of clergy members, including priests, ministers, pastors or rabbis, performing marriage ceremonies and blessing marriage unions between two people of the same sex?"
		%
	Approve	31
	Disapprove	65
	No opinion	4

*Gallup/CNN/USA Today* Poll.** Jan. 22-24, 1999. N=1,031 adults nationwide, including 245 Catholics.
.
"Now a question about the Pope. Do you generally have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Pope John Paul II, or have you never heard of him?"
		1/99	8/93
		%	%
	Favorable	69	64
	Unfavorable	9	15
	Never heard of him	3	-
	No opinion	19	21
				.
Asked of Catholics: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way Pope John Paul II is handling his role as leader of the Catholic Church?"
		Catholics
		1/99	8/93
		%	%
	Approve	85	73
	Disapprove	10	11
	No opinion	5	16

*CNN/Time* Poll** conducted by Yankelovich Partners. Jan. 20-21, 1999. N=253 Catholic adults nationwide.
					.
"Do you believe it is possible to disagree with the Pope on articles of faith and still be a good Catholic?"
		Catholics
		%
	Yes	86
	No	12
	Not sure	2
					.
"Which of these descriptions do you believe describe Pope John Paul and which do not describe him? [See below.]"
		Catholics
		Describes	Does Not Describe	Unsure
		%	%	%
	"A man of peace"	96	2	2
					.
	"An important leader on the world scene"	82	14	4
					.
	"Too conservative"	53	38	9
					.
	"Someone who is out of touch with Catholics in the United States"	47	45	8
					.
	"Someone who is out of touch with the modern world"	41	54	5

Newsweek Poll conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates. Dec. 10-12, 1998. N=806 adults nationwide, including 674 Christians.
						.
"How would you describe your personal commitment to Jesus Christ and your Christian faith? Are you a strong believer, somewhat of a believer, or a Christian mostly in name only?"
						.
		ALL Christians	Evangelical Protestants	Other Protestants	Catholics
		%	%	%	%
	Strong believer	78	93	61	71
	Somewhat of a believer	15	6	28	18
	Mostly in name only	4	1	7	6
	Don't know	3	-	4	5
						.
"How important is it to you that non-Christians convert to Christianity? Is this very important, somewhat important, not too important, or not at all important?"
						.
		ALL Christians	Evangelical Protestants	Other Protestants	Catholics
		%	%	%	%
	Very important	43	72	25	17
	Somewhat important	20	18	17	24
	Not too important	13	4	14	26
	Not at all important	18	3	34	26
	Don't know	6	3	10	7
						.
		ALL	Christians	Non- Christians
		%	%	%
						.
"Now, regardless of your own religious beliefs, we'd like your views on Jesus. Do you think Jesus Christ ever actually lived, or not?"
						.
	Yes	90	93	68
	No	2	1	9
	Don't know	8	6	23
						.
"Do you believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead after dying on the Cross?"
						.
	Yes	79	88	32
	No	7	3	28
	Don't know	4	3	8
	Don't believe Jesus ever lived	10	6	32
						.
"The Bible says that Jesus Christ will return to Earth someday. Do you believe Jesus will return to Earth within the next one thousand years, or not?"
						.
	Yes	52	58	20
	No	19	14	46
	Don't know	29	28	34
						.
"How much power and influence do you think organized Christianity has on life in this country today? Would you say a lot, some, only a little, or none?"
						.
	A lot	38	38	38
	Some	39	41	28
	Only a little	14	14	12
	None	2	2	6
	Don't know	7	5	16
						.
"Please tell me how closely you think each of the following reflects true Christian values and the spirit of Jesus? Do you think [see below] reflects the values and spirit of Jesus very closely, somewhat closely, not too closely, or not at all closely?"
						.
	"American society as a whole"
						.
	Very closely	10	11	3
	Somewhat closely	49	52	34
	Not too closely	24	25	16
	Not at all closely	9	7	22
	Don' know	8	5	25
						.
	"The Christian Right, who work for socially conservative political candidates and legislation"
						.
	Very closely	12	13	5
	Somewhat closely	39	42	25
	Not too closely	22	22	22
	Not at all closely	13	11	22
	Don' know	14	12	26
						.
"In the next millennium, which one of the following do you think should be organized Christianity's top priority: spreading the faith, returning to traditional moral values, increasing tolerance, or righting social ills?"
						.
		ALL Christians	Evangelical Protestants	Other Protestants	Catholics
		%	%	%	%
	Returning to traditional values	38	36	33	47
	Spreading the faith	32	47	22	19
	Increasing tolerance	13	6	22	18
	Righting social ills	7	5	10	8
	Don' know	10	7	13	8

The Harris Poll. July 17-21, 1998. N=1,011 adults nationwide.
.
		ALL	Christians	Non- Christians
		%	%	%
"I will read you a list of things some people believe in. Please say for each one if you believe in it or not.
		Do believe in it
	"God"	94	99	69
	"Heaven"	89	96	57
	"The resurrection of Christ"	88	96	49
	"Survival of the soul after death"	84	90	60
	"Miracles"	86	90	66
	"The Virgin birth (Jesus born of Mary)"	83	91	47
	"The devil"	73	79	40
	"Hell"	73	80	40
	"Astrology"	37	37	37
	"Ghosts"	35	34	41
	"Reincarnation (that you were once another person)"	23	22	32
					.
"Would you describe yourself as a Christian or not?"
	Yes	83
	No	16
	Don't know/Refused	1
					.
Among those who said they believe in the survival of the soul after death (84%): "When you die, where do you think you will go: heaven, hell, purgatory, or somewhere else?"
	Heaven	76	79	48
	Hell	2	1	6
	Purgatory	4	5	2
	Somewhere else	12	9	35
	Don't know/Refused	6	6	9

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