Lifeway Research: Half of Pastors support Trump, but many are hesitant to share preference

Baptist Press

By Aaron Earls, posted September 17, 2024 in Lifeway, World & Politics

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (BP) — Like other Americans, pastors are deciding who they’ll vote for in the November election. Compared to previous elections, however, they’re much more hesitant to share their preference.

Almost all U.S. Protestant pastors (97 percent) plan to vote in the 2024 presidential election, according to a Lifeway Research study conducted Aug. 8-Sept. 3, 2024. But almost a quarter (23 percent) refused to answer the question of whom they’ll cast their ballot for. Few felt the same hesitancy in 2020 (4 percent) or 2016 (3 percent).

Still, among those who plan to vote and shared their preference, 50 percent say former President Donald Trump is their choice, while a quarter (24 percent) back Vice President Kamala Harris and 23 percent are undecided. No third-party candidate garnered more than 1 percent support.

“We ask pastors about many things going on in the culture today, and they are willing to provide their opinion. However, the growing number of pastors unwilling to respond with their voting intentions shows how sensitive or divisive politics has become in some churches,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research. More Here

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