For decades, some political analysts have tried to portray Hispanic Americans as “socially conservative,” and many of them are.
But a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Policy Research finds that majorities across a diverse population — Catholic, Protestant and unaffiliated — say abortion should be legal in most or all circumstances.
This is an interesting finding as the debate over abortion access is in the spotlight ahead of the US presidential election on November 5th.
The latest AP-NORC poll, conducted Sept. 12-16, found that overall, Hispanic Protestants and Catholics have remarkably similar demographics and views on key issues like abortion and immigration, despite their theological differences.
The poll found that about four in 10 U.S. Hispanics identify as Catholic, about a third as Protestant or “other Christian,” and about a quarter as unaffiliated. About half of Protestants identify as evangelical or converted, as do about 10 percent of Catholics.
About one in six Hispanic Protestants and about two-thirds of Hispanic Catholics believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, and similar shares think Congress should pass laws guaranteeing access to legal abortion nationwide.
This is similar to other major religious groups in the United States, except for white evangelical Protestants, where only about a quarter say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
Overall, the vast majority of U.S. Catholics across demographics support abortion rights, even though the Catholic Church’s highest officials have made opposition to abortion a top priority.
Ali Valenzuela, a political science professor at American University who studies Hispanic politics, said many Hispanics once opposed abortion, primarily for religious reasons.
He attributes this change in opinion to “changed political realities” after the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade in 2022, putting abortion access in jeopardy in many states.
About 4 in 10 Hispanic Protestant and Catholic registered voters said abortion policy was one of the most important issues on the November ballot. They were more likely to say the economy, health care, crime and immigration were the most important issues.
Regarding the presidential election, Hispanics were sharply divided on Ms Harris and Ms Trump, with Ms Harris viewed somewhat or very favorably by about one in four Hispanic Protestants and about half of Hispanic Catholics, while Mr Trump was viewed favorably by about one in four Hispanic Protestants and Catholics.
Lorraine Martinez, 68, of California, said she was raised Catholic, and although she doesn’t attend church regularly, her faith upbringing has influenced her values: treat your neighbors well, be kind, and don’t be cruel.
She said her 35 years as a teacher influences her priorities this election season: immigration and education.
“It’s wonderful to see the (immigrant) kids come, grow up and other kids embrace them,” said Martinez, who remembers Vietnamese refugees starting attending the school in the 1980s and other immigrant groups attending since.
Martinez, who plans to vote for Harris, added that he strongly opposes mass deportations and family separations.
She also believes reproductive health decisions, including IVF treatment, should be decisions that women should make without government interference, and supports legal access to abortion.
Pam Butcher, 54, of Waverly, West Virginia, whose mother’s family immigrated to the United States from Mexico, is a Trump supporter who believes abortion should be illegal in most cases.
“To me, this is very important. I’m pro-life,” Butcher said. “So if the mother’s life is in danger, you have to do it to save her, and if that’s her choice, there could be rape or incest, but … to me, it’s murder.”
She said Trump “did not criminalize abortion, but instead restored the right to the states on a very controversial issue.”
Butcher attends a Protestant church and says faith is important not only to his decision to vote for Trump, but to his daily life.
“This country was founded on religious principles,” she said. “I don’t think religion should be forced on anyone, but I also don’t think religion should be taken out of everything.”
Gabriella Maldonado, 20, a Catholic from Chicago, also said she would vote for Trump.
She added that she opposes abortion but that it is sometimes medically necessary, and she believes the Republican Party would do a better job on other issues important to her, including the economy, crime and immigration.
For Hailey Rader, 21, of California, inflation is the biggest issue this election season. “It’s hard to buy a gallon of milk, and gas is really expensive,” the community college student said, adding that her Latina mother has a 30-minute drive to work.
On immigration, Rader believes “it’s wrong to just cross the border” and that the government needs a better system to legally process people who come to the U.S. seeking safety.
The poll found that roughly half of registered Hispanic Protestant and Catholic voters said immigration was one of the most important issues in their vote, while only about one in 10 of each group said it was unimportant.
Roughly 60% of Hispanic Protestants and Catholics say religious organizations should provide assistance to immigrants in the US illegally, which is consistent with the view of Americans overall.
Neither Trump nor Harris have an edge among Latino Catholics when it comes to handling immigration, while Latino Protestants are slightly more likely to say they trust Trump to handle the issue.
–Church attendance patterns among Hispanic Protestants and Catholics are similar: About 2 in 10 attend church once or several times a week, about 4 in 10 attend at least once a month, and about 2 in 10 never attend.
— About one in seven Hispanic Catholics say they speak a language other than English at home, compared with about half of Hispanic Protestants.
–About 6 in 10 Hispanic Catholics have a somewhat favorable or very favorable view of Pope Francis, while about 3 in 10 Hispanic Protestants have a favorable view. Overall, 4 in 10 Americans have a favorable view of Pope Francis.
The diverse political views of Hispanic Americans are reflected in many aspects of the ongoing electoral campaigns: Two of the closest U.S. Senate races, for example, have Hispanic American candidates.
Rep. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat running for office from Arizona, is the son of immigrants from Colombia and Mexico, while Rep. Bernie Moreno, a Republican running for office from Ohio, emigrated with his family from Colombia as a child.
And when it comes to abortion, there is a huge contrast.
Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, wrote in a Fox News op-ed this month that Democrats’ blanket support for abortion rights could alienate some Hispanic Americans who are open to restricting abortion later in pregnancy.
“The Democratic Party has now dramatically shifted to an ‘abortion on demand’ policy, including late-term abortions,” wrote Rodriguez, a California pastor. “This extreme position has deeply upset many Latinos, especially those of faith.”
Meanwhile, in New Mexico, Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced construction is underway on a state-funded abortion clinic that will enforce the state’s total ban on abortions and serve local residents and those traveling from neighboring states such as Texas and Oklahoma.
“This clinic will serve as a testament to our state’s commitment to reproductive freedom,” Lujan Grisham said.
The poll was conducted Sept. 12-16, 2024 among 2,028 adults using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.
Associated Press religion coverage is supported by the Associated Press through a collaboration between The Conversation US and The Conversation with financial assistance from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
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