Eighty-five percent of evangelicals under 39 plan to vote for McCain compared to the 13 percent who plan to vote for Barack Obama, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Overall, the poll suggests that 77 percent of all evangelicals will break for McCain while 21 percent will vote for Obama. McCain’s support is higher than the breakdown in a recent Pew Center survey (65-22).
The breakdown for younger evangelicals also does not match up with earlier polls sponsored by Faith in Public Life and Religion & News Ethics Weekly.
In the Faith in Public Life survey conducted August 28 to September 19, 65 percent of young evangelicals (under 34) supported McCain while 29 percent were for Obama. In Religion & News Ethics Weekly’s survey conducted September 4 to 21, 62 percent of young evangelicals (under 30) planned to vote for McCain, while 30 percent broke for Obama.
Julia Duin of The Washington Timessuggests that abortion is the key issue keeping evangelicals – including young evangelicals – from voting for Obama. A Greenberg Quinlan Rosner poll found that 70 percent of evangelicals say abortion should be illegal in most or all cases.
“While young evangelicals – and the public – have become more liberal on other social issues like gay marriage,” Pollster Anna Greenberg said, “we do not see the same movement towards a liberal position on abortion.”
