Which Values?: A New Survey Redefines The ‘Values Voter’
This weekend, an estimated 1,500 people will descend on the nation’s capital to attend the “2006 Values Voter Summit.” The three-day event, co-hosted by the political affiliates of Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council and two other Religious Right groups, will feature Republican speakers such as U.S. Senator George Allen (R-Va.), U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.), Ann Coulter and the Rev. Jerry Falwell in an orchestrated attempt to rally their base weeks before mid-term elections.
What exactly is a “values voter,” you ask? According to the Religious Right, which has long monopolized the term, a “values voter” is one who draws heavily on ultra-conservative positions on social issues to determine who gets their vote come Election Day.
However, a study released yesterday by the Center for American Values in Public Life shows the American public doesn’t define “values voter” in the way James Dobson, Pat Robertson and Tony Perkins do. Indeed, the study found that exceptionally few Americans believe the label “value voter” is restricted to one’s opinion on hot-button social issues.
In reality, only 12 percent say traditional marriage (9 percent) and abortion (3 percent) immediately come to mind when they “think about voting [their] values.” An overwhelming majority considers a candidate’s personal moral attributes (39 percent), protecting personal liberty and choice (21 percent) and reducing poverty and increasing access to affordable health care (23 percent) to be part of their “values” vote.
These sentiments transcend ideological and religious lines, as well. Despite Religious Right warnings about the imminent threat to society if gays get equal rights and women are still allowed to manage their own health, relatively few of their supporters are taking that fear to the ballot box. Indeed, the study found that 44 percent of those who the survey characterized as “traditionalist” (ie: socially conservative) and religious said a candidate’s “honesty, integrity and responsibility” are the most important factors for them. Only 19 percent of evangelicals are most concerned with banning same-sex marriage and working to restrict abortion.
The survey also revealed a little nugget for those of us who follow the Religious Right. When pollsters asked born-again evangelical Christians to what extent leading figures like Robertson and Dobson represent their political views, a plurality of 44 percent said “not very well” or “not at all.”
Of course, these numbers do not mean the Religious Right is losing its political sway in Washington. As the list of invited speakers at this weekend’s Summit shows, conservative lawmakers are still very interested in courting the Religious Right.