Politicians have long pursued the "Catholic vote" – a potentially big prize, given that the nation's roughly 51 meg Cosmic adults constitute the largest unmarried religious institution in the The states. But while Catholics once were more probable to vote Democratic, they have never been monolithic politically. Today, Catholics are evenly split between the two major parties and are sharply polarized, much like the broader U.Due south. public.

Roughly equal shares of Catholic registered voters have identified with or leaned toward the Democratic and Republican parties in recent years (47% vs. 46%, respectively). And according to exit polls, near identical shares of Catholics voted for Democrats (50%) and Republicans (49%) in 2022 elections for the U.South. House of Representatives. White Catholics are more than likely to vote Republican, while Hispanic Catholics overwhelmingly back Democrats. (Almost American Catholics are either white or Hispanic. Black and Asian Americans each make up roughly 3% of the U.S. Catholic population, co-ordinate to the Pew Research Center'due south 2022 Religious Landscape Study.) Collectively, however, Catholics essentially remainder themselves out at the polls on the national level.

Meanwhile, when it comes to a number of specific bug – including some on which Catholic teachings go out picayune room for dubiety – Catholic partisans often express opinions that are much more in line with the positions of their political parties than with the teachings of their church building.

Have abortion (which the Catholic Church building opposes), for instance: Among Catholic Republicans and GOP leaners, 55% say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, identical to the share amidst all Republicans. At the same time, 64% of Cosmic Democrats and Democratic leaners say ballgame should be legal in all or most cases — slightly lower than the share for Democrats overall (76%). On rest, nonetheless, Catholic Democrats are more than likely to favor legal abortion than to oppose it.

Catholics split by political party on climate change, abortion

Partisan dynamics too are at work regarding views about climatic change. Pope Francis has expressed a need to act on the event, and similar Pope Francis, 8-in-ten Cosmic Democrats (forth with 78% of Democrats overall) concur that the World is warming by and large because of human action, such equally burning fossil fuels. Only just 22% of Catholic Republicans (and 24% of Republicans overall) say they believe the Earth is warming considering of human being activity.

Partisan gulfs among Catholics exist on several other bug, besides – including views toward poverty and clearing, two areas in which the church has been agile. Almost ii-thirds of Catholic Democrats (64%) say government aid to the poor does more than good than harm because people tin can't get out of poverty until their bones needs are met, while just as many Cosmic Republicans (67%) say government aid to the poor does more harm than good by making people too dependent on government assistance.

Catholic Democrats, Republicans at odds on government aid to poor, border wall

When information technology comes to clearing, Cosmic Democrats also are much more likely than their Republican counterparts to say immigrants strengthen the country (86% vs. 47%), rather than being a burden. And 9-in-10 Catholic Democrats (91%) oppose substantially expanding the wall along the U.S. border with United mexican states – while 81% of Catholic Republicans favor it, according to a survey conducted by the Heart before this calendar month.

There are also gaps between Democratic Catholics and Republican Catholics on questions about homosexuality and same-sexual practice union, but majorities in both groups express opinions that are arguably in opposition to church teachings. For instance, six-in-ten Catholic Republicans (59%) and three-quarters of Catholic Democrats (76%) say they call up same-sex couples should be allowed to marry legally, despite the church'south opposition to gay marriage. Similarly, most in both groups say they recall homosexuality should exist accepted by society (69% among Cosmic Republicans, 84% among Catholic Democrats).

Half of Catholic Republicans now say Pope Francis is too liberal

There was a time when Catholics in both parties were largely united in their admiration for Pope Francis. But in recent months, even these views have become more polarized forth party lines, with Catholic Democrats and Democratic leaners viewing Francis more favorably than Cosmic Republicans and GOP leaners. Amid Catholics, Republicans are at present much more than likely than Democrats to say the pope is "too liberal" (55% vs. 19%) and "naïve" (32% vs. 18%). While most Cosmic Democrats (67%) say Francis is doing an excellent or practiced job spreading the Cosmic religion, just 45% Catholic Republicans say and so. And equally of early 2018, nigh twice every bit many Democrats (71%) as Republicans (37%) said Pope Francis represents a major change for the ameliorate.

Michael Lipka is an editorial manager of religion research at Pew Inquiry Eye.