Evangelicals are least likely to closely follow the 2016 campaign, according to a national survey, the results of which were released on March 24.
The study, conducted by Barna Group, divided respondents into five faith groups according to their religious beliefs and found that those who identified as Evangelical Christian were the least engaged at this point in the presidential race.
20 percent of evangelical Christians said they’re following the campaign “very closely,” while voters who identified with other faith groups -- Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, as well as those who identified as religious skeptics such as atheists, agnostics, and unaffiliated -- reported higher levels of engagement at 41 percent and 36 percent, respectively.
The Barna Group's survey also found that while Evangelical Christians are least likely to follow news about the election “very closely,” they are the most likely to believe that the results of this year’s presidential elections are “extremely important to the future of the United States” at 78 percent.
Unlike the pattern seen in the past four presidential elections, Catholic voters were found to have reported following the race more closely than Protestants.
“...it's certainly surprising to see this segment delay their focus on the race ... a group that is waiting to see what happens with the nominating process before devoting a greater mind share to election news,” George Barna, an analyst for the 2016 election polling, commented according to the Barna Group.
“They are conscious of what is happening but not yet fully focused. We expect to see their attentiveness climb substantially over the next few months,” he expressed.
This research was conducted through an online poll from January 28 through February 4, 2016 by Barna Group with a nationally representative sample 869 registered voters of adults 18 and older.
