George W. Bush's personal Christian faith is evident. During his 2000 presidential campaign, he identified Christ as his favorite political philosopher or thinker. While in office, he has championed faith-based and community initiatives. In a time of crisis, he addressed the country at a national prayer service following the Sept. 11 attacks.
A recent Gallup poll* shows that only a small minority of Americans say Bush's faith makes them view him less favorably. The April 29-May 1 poll shows that half of Americans say Bush's frequent discussion of his religious beliefs in public does not affect their opinion of him, while more than a third (37%) say it makes them view the president more favorably, and just 12% say it causes them to view him less favorably.
Bush is a Methodist hailing from Texas, so it is not surprising that his Christian beliefs give his favorable rating the largest boost in the South. Forty-six percent (46%) of Southerners say Bush's discussion of his beliefs makes them view him more favorably, compared with just 27% of Easterners. Protestants (45%) are more likely than Catholics (33%) to say Bush's religious beliefs cause them to view him more favorably.
The evidence that Bush's statements about his religious convictions affect public opinion of him more positively than negatively begs the question of the president's motivation. Does Bush combine policy statements with ones about his faith because he is sincerely committed, or does he do it because it's politically useful? Sixty-two percent (62%) of the public says that sincere commitment motivates Bush to publicize his beliefs; while a third (33%) says that he does it because it is politically useful.
Not surprisingly, Republicans are more likely than Democrats to say Bush's religious statements are motivated by sincere commitment rather than political usefulness (83% to 43%). One important final variable to consider is church attendance. Nearly three-quarters of those who say they attend services weekly (73%) believe Bush's religious statements are sincere. This measure drops nearly 20 percentage points (to 54%) among those who say they seldom or never attend church.
*Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,002 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted April 29 to May 1, 2002. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin for error is ±3%.
