Polling/Catholics & Choice
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2018 National Survey of Catholics in the United States

Belden Russonello Strategists commissioned a national survey of Catholics in the United States for Catholics for Choice in 2018. The polling data relates to the Vatican’s ban on birth control, Humanae Vitae, and it’s public perception.

View the polling data here.

2016 Survey of Catholic Likely Voters

October 2016
This report discusses the findings from a national public opinion survey conducted for Catholics for Choice by Belden Russonello Strategists. The survey analyzes Catholic voters’ views on the 2016 election and presidential candidates.

Catholic Voters and Religious Exemption Policies

2014, 19 pp.
This report discusses the findings from a national public opinion survey conducted for Catholics for Choice, Call to Action, Dignity USA and Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics and Ritual (WATER) by Belden Russonello Strategists. The survey explored Catholic voters’ views on refusal clauses, contraceptive coverage and abortion access.

The Facts Tell the Story: Catholics and Choice

2014, 12 pp.
“The Facts Tell the Story” provides the latest data about American Catholics’ support for and use of legal abortion, contraception and other reproductive healthcare issues.

American Attitudes on Religious Exemptions: In Theory and Practice

2012, 6 pp.
This memo highlights the results from a national public opinion survey conducted by Belden Russonello Strategists for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Catholics for Choice. Participants were asked about specific examples of reproductive health services denied for religious reasons, as well as the concept of religious exemptions in general.

Emergency Contraception: Catholics in Favor, Bishops Opposed

2010, 8 pp.
Catholics for Choice and the International Consortium for Emergency Contraception have jointly released a new briefing paper, “Emergency Contraception: Catholics in Favor, Bishops Opposed.” It details how Catholic bishops continue to oppose access to emergency contraception, going against the beliefs of the majority of their constituents, and how advocates, policymakers, and healthcare professionals are fighting back.

Spaniards’ Views on Abortion– Analysis of a nationwide public opinion survey in Spain

Click here for the full results of the poll in Spanish.
November 2009
The Spanish public is currently engaged in a national debate over potential changes to the nation’s abortion laws. Belden Russonello & Stewart worked with Catholics for Choice to conduct public opinion research on Spaniards’ attitudes toward abortion and their views on Catholic Bishops’ efforts to restrict access to abortion. The short survey reported here is based on 1,001 interviews with Spaniards age 18 and over, conducted from November 10 to 13, 2009.

Secular and Security-Minded: The Catholic Voter in Summer 2008

2008, 16 pp.
Executive Summary [PDF] 
Full Poll[PDF]
More than 1000 Catholics who are likely voters in the 2008 presidential election, including an oversample of Latino Catholics, answered questions regarding the war in Iraq, national security, gay marriage, stem cell research, abortion, education, Medicaid and Social Security and the Catholic bishops’ denial of communion and involvement in politics. This is the third pre-presidential survey of Catholic voters that Catholics for Choice has conducted. The surveys conducted in October 2000 and June 2004 reflected Catholic voter preferences for President on election day.

Catholic Attitudes on Condoms in the Prevention of HIV and AIDS

2007, 24 pp.
As public health campaigns focus on condom use as a key to preventing HIV/ AIDS transmission, the Vatican maintains steadfast opposition to the use of condoms for any reason. In anticipation of World AIDS Day, Catholics for Choice asked Belden Russonello & Stewart to conduct an international poll of Catholics to determine their attitudes toward condoms and AIDS. BRS surveyed Catholics over 18 in Ghana, Ireland, Mexico, the Philippines, and the United States; the results of the poll are reported here.

View the poster, a visual representation of the poll.

The View from Mainstream America: The Catholic Vote in 2004

2004, 70 pp.

The largest poll of American Catholic attitudes and positions on key election issues in 2004. More than 2200 Catholics, including an oversample of Hispanics, answered questions regarding the war in Iraq, national security, gay marriage, stem cell research, abortion, education, Medicaid and Social Security and the Catholic bishops’ denial of communion and involvement in politics.

A World View: Catholic Attitudes on Sexual Behavior and Reproductive Health

2004, 28 pp.

Also available in Spanish.

An indispensable report that provides opinion data, demographical information and behaviors of Catholics from dozens of countries around the world. While the institutional Roman Catholic church – at the global, national and local levels – exerts substantial influence on public policy and even medical practices in reproductive health, the data reveal that the policies advocated by the pope and bishops do not reflect the diversity of attitudes and practices among Catholic people themselves. On contraception, abortion, condoms for HIV-prevention and other matters of family life, Catholic attitudes and behavior often clash with church teaching.

Second Chance Denied: Emergency Contraception in Catholic Hospital Emergency Rooms

2002, 24 pp.
An examination of the impact of the Religious and Ethical Directives, the bishops’ guidelines for Catholic healthcare providers, on the availability of emergency contraception in Catholic hospitals. Conducted by Ibis Reproductive Health, this survey assessed whether Catholic emergency rooms provided EC at all, under what circumstances it was provided and if non-providing ERs would refer women to other providers who could deliver EC within the 72-hour period in which it is most likely to be effective.

The Myth of the Conservative Catholic: Are church-going Catholics really conservative?

Conscience XXII – No.  3 (2000) – pages 11-14

Patricia Miller takes on the assertion that church-going Catholics form a homogeneous and conservative whole. Drawing from Catholic opinion polls, she finds that there is substantial variation among Catholics’ public policy priorities, which does not neatly divide according to frequency of Mass attendance.

In Search of the Catholic Vote

Conscience XXI – No. 3 (2000) – pages 8-14

On the eve of the 2000 election, Tegan A. Culler interviewed leading political scientists, sociologists and polling experts about their view of the Catholic vote through history and its likely significance at the polls that election cycle.

Religion, Reproductive Health and Access to Services: A National Survey of Women

2000, 20 pp.
A national survey on the views of American women conducted amidst a climate of takeovers and mergers of community and non-religious hospitals with Catholic institutions. Questions focus on the availability of reproductive health services, the extent and type of referrals and counseling given to patients, the filling of prescriptions and other aspects of healthcare that are impacted by religious dictates in medical settings.

Catholics for Choice