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To: Lizzie Tudor who wrote (50441)	5/29/1999 8:29:00 PM
From: Neocon	Respond to of 67261

I would offer you more statistics from Gallup, but you would claim it was a right- wing site, so what is the point...

To: Lizzie Tudor who wrote (50441)	5/30/1999 3:42:00 AM
From: Neocon	Respond to of 67261

I decided "what the heck", and so I got you something relevant to the point at hand, which is not how many people are Evangelicals, or even Christians, but how many are inclined to pray: POLL RELEASES May 6, 1999 As Nation Observes National Day of Prayer, 9 in 10 Pray -- 3 in 4 Daily by George Gallup Jr GALLUP NEWS SERVICE The National Day of Prayer is Thursday, May 6, and Gallup poll data suggest that many Americans do not just pray on special days like this, but on a regular basis. Overall, 9 in 10 Americans claim to engage in prayer, a proportion that has not changed over the last half-century of Gallup polling, and 3 out of 4 Americans say that they pray on a daily basis. An additional 15% of adults say they pray at least weekly. Less frequent praying is reported by only 6%. Why do people pray? The survey results indicate that people pray for a range of reasons -- from asking for their family's well-being, to adoration of God, to winning the lottery. However, many reject the idea of using prayers to petition for material things. Nearly all Americans who pray believe that their prayers are heard and that their prayers have been answered. But, 20% have been angered on at least one occasion because they believe their prayers have not been answered. Pray to a Supreme Being Americans who are most likely to report praying at least once daily are women, non-whites, and residents of the South. Even among young adults under 30 years of age, 62% report daily prayers. Prayer is primarily a solitary event: more people (87%) say they more often pray silently and alone than aloud and with others (11%). Most adults say they pray to a supreme being, such as God, the Lord, Jehovah, or Jesus Christ. Only 1% each report that their prayers are in a "new age" mode to a transcendent or cosmic force, to the "inner self," or to the "god within." Prayers are Conversational A majority of Americans who pray -- 56% -- says that their prayers are conversational in nature. Fewer people say their prayers usually are either meditative or reflective (15%), or more formal, such as reciting the Lord's Prayer (13%). Fourteen percent report they use a combination of all three approaches. Reflecting the nature of their particular religious practices, Protestants are twice as likely as Roman Catholics to say they most often engage in conversational prayer (65% to 31%). Catholics, perhaps not surprisingly given the more formal nature of their religious ceremonies, are more likely than Protestants to report their prayers are more formal expressions, such as the Lord's Prayer. Saying 'Grace' Giving thanks to God before meals is fairly common in American homes, with 29% of those interviewed stating they always say grace, and 22% reporting it is a frequent occurrence. An additional 34% say it is an occasional practice; 14% report that saying grace before meals is never done. Protestants are more likely than Catholics to report they always or frequently say grace, by a margin of 56% to 43%. Non-whites are most likely to report that they say grace "always"or "frequently" (65%). The Effectiveness of Prayer In vast numbers and through a variety of prayer modes, Americans seek to relate to a power outside themselves. Respondents report that the effects are often profound, in terms of life satisfaction, finding purpose and meaning in life, involvement in social and political causes, and the ability to forgive others who have hurt them. Prayer not only comforts; it challenges the person praying to move toward a greater spiritual maturity. A high proportion of the 9 in 10 people who say that they pray report experiencing a deep sense of peace and the strong presence of God through prayer. Survey respondents frequently report that they have received an answer to specific prayer requests. Still others say they have gained a deeper insight into some biblical truth, and that they have been inspired or led by God to perform some specific action. Of those who pray, the vast majority report that they thank God for his blessings, talk to God in their own words, ask God to forgive their sins, and seek guidance for decisions. gallup.com Oh, and the only majority I was referring to was the one at the event, which clearly desired a prayer...

To: Lizzie Tudor who wrote (50441)	5/30/1999 3:58:00 AM
From: Neocon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 67261

Along similar "what the heck lines': POLL RELEASES May 18, 1999 Americans Divided Over Abortion Debate Similar percentages call themselves pro-choice and pro-life by Lydia Saad GALLUP NEWS SERVICE Three decades of extensive polling on the abortion issue have shown that Americans hold a complex set of opinions about the morality and legality of terminating a woman's pregnancy. However, when asked in a new Gallup poll to sum up their abortion views according to the labels favored by activists on each side, the public is almost evenly split on the issue, with 48% currently calling themselves "pro-choice" and 42% identifying themselves as "pro-life." More than half of Americans in each group say they feel very strongly about their position, but just 19% insist they will support only candidates for major offices who share their abortion views. While adherance to the abortion labels tilts slightly in the pro-choice direction, a follow-up question in the latest Gallup poll finds greater intensity of feeling on the part of pro-life respondents. Two-thirds of those who hold the pro-life view say they feel very strongly about it compared to just over half of pro-choice adherants. The net result of these patterns is a nearly even division of Americans who feel very strongly on both sides of the issue, with a slight tilt in the pro-life direction: 29% say they are very strongly pro-life, while nearly as many, 26%, say they are very strongly pro-choice. Taken together, 55% of Americans hold a very strong view on abortion. The rest indicate they feel less strongly about their positions on abortion, or have no opinion at all. The new Gallup poll suggests that while abortion feelings may run strong for many, abortion is not a key electoral issue for most Americans. Just 19% say they would vote only for a candidate who shares their views on the issue while 51% say they would consider a candidate's position as just one of many important factors. The rest, 27%, say abortion is not a major voting issue for them at all. Again, however, intensity on the issue favors the pro-life side, with 24% of pro-life Americans saying abortion is a critical issue for them in supporting candidates, compared to only 16% of those in the pro-choice camp. Views Held Steady in Past Year There has been little change in Americans' views about abortion since Gallup last studied them over a year ago. In January 1998, on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the landmark abortion case of Roe vs. Wade, Gallup found 48% identifying as pro-choice and 45% as pro-life (compared to 48% and 42% today). In addition to the pro-choice and pro-life labels, Gallup has asked about the public's views on the legality of abortion for 24 years. In the latest survey, 27% of Americans favor abortion being legal in any circumstances, 16% favor it being illegal in all circumstances, with the majority, 55% saying that it should be legal only under certain circumstances. Most of those in the middle group say that abortion should be legal in only a few circumstances, meaning that -- in summary -- about four in ten Americans (39%) say abortion should be legal in all or most circumstances while 58% would restrict abortion to only a few or no circumstances. This pattern has also shown little change from 1998, when the overall split on legality of abortion was 39% vs. 59%. Small Gender Differences Observed Abortion is often considered a women's issue, and while, biologically speaking, it certainly is, the latest Gallup poll finds few gender differences in public opinion or voting behavior on the issue. There is no significant difference in the percentage of men and women identifying with the two abortion labels. The pro-choice label is preferred by a plurality of both groups, including 49% of women and 47% of men. The percentage calling themselves pro-life is also very similar: 42% among women and 43% among men. In terms of their specific views about the legality of abortion, women tend to be slightly more liberal, with 41% of women compared to 35% of men saying abortion should be legal under all or most circumstances. However, the majority of both groups favor the more conservative set of positions, with 57% of women and 60% of men saying abortion should be restricted to few or no circumstances. While their basic attitudes toward abortion are similar, women do express somewhat greater intensity about the issue than do men. Overall, 60% of women -- compared with 47% of men -- say they feel very strongly about their abortion views. (Interestingly, women are equally divided -- at 30% each -- between those who are very strongly pro-choice and those who are very strongly pro-life.) However, women are only slightly more likely than are men -- 21% versus 17% -- to say they would vote only for candidates who share their views on the issue. Where Gallup does find significant differences in views on abortion is between people belonging to different political parties, and between those who hold different levels of religious commitment. Democrats and independents are much more likely than are Republicans to consider themselves pro-choice, with slightly more than half of Democrats and independents calling themselves pro-choice, compared to only 38% of Republicans. The differences are even stronger according to the religious commitment of respondents. Among those who say religion is very important in their lives, more than half identify themselves as pro-life. However, among those for whom religion is only fairly important or not important at all, the pro-choice position is the dominant view. gallup.com