Related articles and links |  1 of 8

Pew survey: 'Moral values' is still top for voters—if it's suggested as an option
The biggest debate after the U.S. presidential election has almost certainly been the influence "values voters" had on re-electing George Bush. (Here's today's roundup of op-ed pieces on the subject, here's the deluge from earlier this week.) Fortunately, today there's actual news on this subject, instead of the tiresome triumphalism vs. bigotry talking points.

The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press's quadrennial post-election survey found that moral values really was the top factor in deciding for whom to vote—and at even bigger numbers than those troublesome exit polls: 27 percent for moral values, 22 percent for Iraq, 21 percent for "economy/jobs", 14 percent for terrorism/security.

But here's the catch: Moral values only wins out when you ask voters to pick the issue that mattered most among that list (along with health care, education, and taxes). If you just ask, "What one issue mattered most to you in deciding how you voted for President?" the war in Iraq is the runaway winner, with 25 percent. Then it's economy/jobs (12%), moral values (9%) and terrorism/security (8%).

Even if you add in "honesty/integrity" (5%), abortion (3%), and "the candidate's religiosity/morals" (2%), you still don't compete with Iraq.

Bigger news: No one said that marriage or stem-cell research was the number-one issue that mattered in their voting. (The survey did allow for, but didn't ask for secondary responses on that question: 2% gave marriage as a second response, 1% gave stem-cell research).

"We did not see any indication that social conservative issues like abortion, gay rights, and stem-cell research were anywhere near as important as the economy and Iraq," Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center, told the Associated Press. "Moral values is a phrase that's very attractive to people."

Good news for the Democrats on that point, but bad news on another front: "moral values" pretty much means what religious conservatives have been saying it means—especially on the points of abortion and marriage. The poll press release summarizes:

The survey asked voters who were given the list of issues to describe, in their own words, "what comes to mind when you think about 'moral values'?" Among voters who chose moral values as most important from the list of seven issues, about half gave a response that mentioned a specific issue. More than four-in-ten (44%) defined the phrase specifically in terms of social issues, including abortion (28%), homosexuality and gay marriage (29%), or stem-cell research (4%). A few other issues also were mentioned, including poverty, economic inequality, and the like.

So "values voters" pretty much do mean abortion and gay marriage after all. (This question, by the way, was open ended. There was no list.) The press release continues:

But the definition of moral values is not limited to policy references. Nearly a quarter of respondents (23%) who cited moral values as important explained their thinking in terms of the personal characteristics of the candidates, including honesty and integrity (cited by 9%). Almost one-in-five (18%) explicitly mentioned religion, Christianity, God, or the Bible. Another 17 percent answered in terms of traditional values, using such language as "family values," "right and wrong," or "the way people live their lives."

People who did not choose moral values from the list of issues were also asked what the term meant to them. The pattern of responses was quite different from those who said moral values were an important consideration. Fewer mentioned a specific issue, candidate quality, or general religious theme; more answered in general terms, and 12 percent explicitly protested the imposition of others' values on them, said the idea was being used as a "wedge" against Democrats, or otherwise expressed a negative reaction to the phrase.

next page... |  1 of 8

share this page

November (Web-only) 2004, Vol. 48