Le Moyne College/Zogby International Contemporary Catholic Trends poll finds majority of American Catholics feel same-sex couples should receive legal protections of marriage, but not civil marriage or the sacrament of marriage

SAME-SEX SUPPORT VARIES DEPENDING ON PROPOSED POLICY

When asked to consider issues related to legal reforms and court decisions regarding unions between same-sex individuals, the level of support varied significantly depending on the type of policy considered.

For example: Only 28.7% agreed that the Catholic Church should make the sacrament of marriage available to same-sex couples. However, when asked about allowing same-sex couples to marry legally, that support increased to 38.7%.

Importantly, when asked about civil unions in which same-sex couples receive all of the legal protections of marriage, but the term “marriage” is NOT used, support increased with a majority of Catholics (56.4%) agreeing with this proposal.

Compared to other national surveys, Catholics in the CCT survey appear to be more conservative on the issue of religious marriage, about the same as other Americans on the question of civil marriage and more liberal than other Americans on t he issue of civil unions.

Turning to recent Vatican teachings on homosexuality and same-sex marriage, respondents generally agreed with the Vatican position that homosexual behavior is against natural law (63.2%), while significantly smaller majorities agreed with the Church’s positions that Catholics should oppose civil laws allowing same-sex marriages (54.3%) and that Catholic public officials should oppose such laws (53.8%).

PRESIDENTIAL POPULARITY AND SUPPORT

With the presidential election season starting to heat up, respondents were asked whether President Bush deserves to be re-elected, or whether it is time for a change. Overall, a plurality of 48% responded that it is time for someone new, while 44% favored Mr. Bush’s re-election.

The president’s approval rating continues to slip from a Spring 2003 rating of 66.5% to a Fall 2003 rating of 52.2%. The following illustrates the president’s approval rating, starting with the first CCT poll in late 2001.

Excellent/Good	Fall 2001	Spring 2002	Fall 2002	Spring 2003	Fall 2003
Catholic Response	78%	76.5%	61.6%	66.5%	52.2%
National Response	82%	73%	64%	61%	53%

Among those most likely to favor Bush’s re-election were Catholics who attend Mass more frequently, those who were affluent, white, male and college-educated. African American and Hispanic Catholics favored replacing Bush by a wide margin.

Women, the less affluent, those not married (including widowed, separated, divorced, single) and those who are not college graduates favored someone new. Among these Catholics, those under 30 were most likely to favor a change (62%).

BISHOPS RATING CONTINUES LOWER THAN PRE-ABUSE SCANDAL

A majority of American Catholics continue to believe their bishops are doing a good job, and support for the bishops has leveled off at about 60% since spring 2003. Even though decline in support appears to have slowed, the bishops have not regained support since the sex abuse scandal became widely known.

Responses	Fall 2001	Spring 2002	Fall 2002	Spring 2003	Fall 2003
Strongly Agree	43.4%	26.6%	26.7%	21.4%	20.5%
Somewhat Agree	40.1%	41.4%	42.3%	37.9%	40.2%
TOTAL	83.5%	68.0%	69.0%	59.3%	60.7%

Finally, a majority of American Catholics (57.7%) continue to think the Church should become more democratic in its decision making.

“While the majority of Catholics continue to support the Bishops’ leadership during this difficult time, there is still some uncertainly about how best to handle this issue and whether the steps that have been taken are working,” said Le Moyne College President Charles J. Beirne, S.J. “The Bishops have taken clear and positive action, but the latest findings clearly illustrate that much work remains to be done.”

AWARENESS OF CHURCH ISSUES REGARDING YOUTH

When respondents were asked if they were aware of their dioceses’ initiating programs in response to the clerical sexual scandal (as mandated by the American bishops in their policy, “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People”), 40% were aware of such programs while 56% were unaware (4% unsure). Older respondents and those who attended weekly mass were more aware of the programs, while a majority of Catholics (76%) between the ages of 18-29 were unaware.

It is notable that in past CCT surveys on the clerical sexual abuse scandal, awareness of the existence of the scandal was nearly universal.

The latest Contemporary Catholic Trends was conducted in mid-December 2003. The margin of error is +/=2.6%; the MOE can be greater among subgroups of the sample of 1,504 respondents.

For additional information:

For more information on the latest polling results contact Le Moyne Director of Communications Joe Della Posta at 315-445-4564