There was a clear deep religious divide among US voters heading into the 2024 presidential election, a recent Pew Research Center survey revealed.
According to the survey, the majority of white Protestants and Catholics preferred former president Donald Trump, while Vice President Kamala Harris maintained a strong majority with black Protestants, Hispanic Catholics, agnostics, atheists, and Jewish voters.
Shift in religious voting patterns from Biden to Harris
This survey marked the first time Pew polled voters on a Trump vs. Harris election following the withdrawal of President Joe Biden and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Harris’s support among Christian groups was revealed to have grown compared to Biden’s earlier this year, with Hispanic Catholics' support rising from just 49% to 65%.
However, the overall religious dynamics of the 2024 election cycle remained similar to those from earlier this year, with Trump continuing to dominate within white Christian communities.
Church attendance and voting preferences
The survey also indicated a connection between church attendance and support for Trump among white Evangelicals and Catholics in particular. According to Pew, Trump’s backing was stronger among those who attended church at least monthly.
Notably, white non-evangelical Protestants appeared to lose support for Trump as church attendance rose.
For Harris, church attendance showed no clear difference in preference, with 86% of regular and infrequent churchgoers within the black Protestant community saying they’d support her.
Key issues for voters in the 2024 election
The survey also highlighted which issues matter most to voters with varying religious beliefs.
Across the board, the economy ranked as a critical concern for over 60% of registered voters, with other major concerts including health care, Supreme Court appointments, and foreign policy.
On the topic of immigration, however, white Christians placed the issue as crucial to their vote, with Evangelical Protestants and Catholics coming in at 79% and 72%, higher than any other demographic.
Meanwhile, non-Christian groups, primarily atheists, cited abortion as a critical issue in this upcoming election.
The differing preferences presented by Pew largely reflected broader partisan trends, with Trump’s supporters emphasizing immigration and Harris supporters primarily focused on abortion and related issues.