More than 6 in 10 evangelicals who are likely to vote in November support Sen. John McCain for president, while just 17 percent side with Sen. Barack Obama. That's according to a nationwide survey of 1,003 adults taken this month by The Barna Group, which identifies evangelicals based on nine belief questions.
Obama maintains an overall lead of 43 percent to 34 percent, as well as wide — but shrinking — support among most faith segments. Among atheists and agnostics, his lead is 55 percent to 17 percent. Catholics are standing behind Obama, 39 percent to 29 percent.
George Barna, founder of The Barna Group, said he believes the faith community may emerge as the deciding factor in the election.
"It is unusual to see such significant movement within the core segments of the Christian community," he said. "While there is still a decided preference for Senator Obama, the more conservative element of the Christian population is slowly coming to grips with what an Obama presidency might be like.
"As the finer points of a wide range of issues are clarified by each nominee, the initial excitement about Senator Obama has lost some luster to an increasing number of people whose vote is influenced by their spiritual perspectives."
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Don't miss Focus on the Family Action's latest election webcast.
(NOTE: Referral to Web sites not produced by Focus on the Family is for informational purposes only and does not necessarily constitute an endorsement of the sites' content.)
