More than eight in 10 white Americans would vote for a racial minority for president, but fewer whites who take the Bible literally or who worship in an all-white congregation would do the same, according to a recent survey.
Research from Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion found that 84 percent of non-Hispanic white Americans said they would vote for a racial minority if he or she was nominated by their party.
But only 75 percent of respondents who said the Bible should be taken literally, and 69 percent of those who attend an all-white congregation, would vote that way.
“For many churchgoing whites, attending religious services does not bring them into contact with persons of other racial backgrounds,” said Kevin Dougherty, a member of a team of researchers for the 2008 Baylor Religion Survey.
“It is easy to be distrustful of another group of people when someone is not personally acquainted with anyone from that group. The
2008 presidential election will test the consequences of America’s continued religious segregation by race.”
Researchers found that about eight in 10 white Protestants would vote for a racial minority, while nine out of 10 whites with no religious affiliation would support a candidate of that description.
The findings from a sample of 1,325 non-Hispanic whites was part of the 2008 Baylor Religion Survey that was designed by the institute and conducted by the Gallup Organization. The study has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Adelle M. Banks
Religion News Service
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