Thursday, April 26, 2007
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Latino Faith Trends Could Have Impact
The Pew Research Center has issued an interesting new study on Latinos, religious beliefs, and party identification. The center found that in the United States, while 68% of Latinos identified themselves as Roman Catholic, a growing number of Latinos are leaving the church for Evangelical congregations. In addition, 54% of those Latinos who identify themselves as Catholics also identify themselves as charismatic Christians.How does this play out in politics? According to the Center, Latino Evangelicals are twice as likely to identify with the Republican Party compared to Latino Catholics. The Latino Catholic community currently represents a solid base for the Democratic Party. The study also concludes that Latino Evangelicals are more likely to be outspoken on social issues such as abortion and gay-marriage, although Latino Catholics are more outspoken than the general public. (Editor's note: Roman Catholics have been at the front of the pro-life movement for decades and continue to lead the way in many respects)
The study makes a conclusion that both the shift in Latino's religious affiliation and the influence of the charismatic movement in the existing Roman Catholic Church could benefit Republicans and conservatives in the future. This could especially be true as Hispanics have become the largest minority group in the United States.
Posted by D. Price
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