Barack Obama,  Catholic Church,  Polling

Poll Watch: 46 Per Cent of Catholics Approve of President Obama



According to the latest Gallup Poll.

Catholics’ views of President Obama were little changed during a week in which the administration battled publicly with Catholic leaders over whether church-affiliated employers should have to pay for contraception as part of their employees’ health plans. An average of 46% of Catholics approved of the job Obama was doing as president last week, compared with 49% the prior week, a change within the margin of sampling error.

Although Catholic Church leaders’ opposition to the requirement dates back to last fall, when the policy was being laid out, the controversy erupted and made headlines in the last 10 days, after the Obama administration announced that religious-based employers would ultimately have to comply. The Obama administration’s rules would have forced organizations affiliated with the church — such as Catholic hospitals, service organizations, and universities — to pay for employee healthcare services that go against their belief that Catholics should not use contraception.

Well, this is a little different from the Rasmussen Poll earlier today, but what is striking is that ONLY 46% approve of President Obama and the job he is doing. Although the cahnge from the previous weeks is within the margin of error, since the American Catholic Bishops are not pleased and will be continually be broadcasting their displeasure from the pulpit, eventually you will see some movement in the polls – and it won;t be upward.

If I was President, I would not want to risk re-election with a key swing demographic group, who traditionally has given me better approval ratings than the average American population, less than 50 per cent.