A new poll from EWTN and Real Clear Opinion Research found that the majority of Catholic voters do not believe that President Biden should pursue a second term in 2024.
The poll results that were shared with Townhall found that 49 percent of Catholic voters supported Biden in the 2020 election, while 46.7 percent supported former President Donald Trump. If the 2022 midterms were held today, 48.7 percent of Catholic voters would support a Republican candidate and 44.7 percent would support a Democratic candidate.
The majority of voters, 58 percent, said they believe Biden should not run for reelection in 2024. Only 22 percent said they believe Biden should pursue a second term. Almost 52 percent disapprove of Biden’s job performance.
Townhall has covered several polls that show that the majority of Americans do not support allowing biological male transgender athletes, like Will “Lia” Thomas, to compete on women’s sports teams. EWTN and Real Clear’s poll found that 75 percent of Catholic voters oppose allowing biological male transgender athletes to compete against biological females on school sports teams. In addition, 53.3 percent of Catholic voters believe supporting “transgender ideology” conflicts with Catholic teaching.
When it comes to education, nearly 60 percent of respondents oppose teaching Critical Race Theory (CRT) in classrooms. Almost 65 percent of Catholic voters support allowing parents of K-12 students to help determine the curriculum taught in schools.
Over 70 percent of Catholic voters indicated that they are concerned about a “COVID-19 deficit” in school children. This comes after a report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress released last month found that math and reading scores among 9-year-olds fell across all race and income levels in the past two years, though they were significantly worse among low-ranking students. And, students in the 90th percentile showed a 3 percent drop in math scores, while students in the 10th percentile fell 12 points, which Leah covered. Average 9-year-old scores declined the most on record for math (seven points) and in reading since 1990 (five points).
“As we approach the midterm elections and the campaign intensifies, President Biden could continue to face headwinds particularly as he stands in stark opposition to a clear majority of Catholics on religious liberty/conscience rights, transgender ideology, and on even the most basic protections for the unborn,” Matthew Bunson, executive editor of EWTN News, said, adding that “overcoming the ‘Covid deficit” in the classroom and the increasing use of divisive ideologies in K-12 classroom instruction continue to concern Catholics.”
“Catholics are historically a swing vote but those who attend Mass at least weekly are unquestionably at odds with this administration even as support from Hispanic Catholics is eroding for the president and his party. These voters could very well decide who controls the House and Senate,” he concluded. The findings come after EWTN’s July poll found that Biden’s approval rating was dropping among Catholics.
The poll was conducted from Sept. 12 to Sept. 19 among 1,581 Catholics who are registered and say they are likely to vote in the 2022 midterms. The credibility interval is plus or minus 2.4 percent.