Mormons top approval for Trump among religious groups in US, poll shows

January 14, 2018 Utah Channel 3

ST. GEORGE — Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints expressed higher approval of President Donald Trump’s job in office than any other religious group in the U.S., according to an extensive poll conducted by Gallup in 2017.

In this December 2017 file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump visits with church leaders and others at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Welfare Square, Salt Lake City, Utah, December 4, 2017 | Photo courtesy of Intellectual Reserve, St. George News

Of the 2,241 Mormons polled, 61 percent expressed approval of Trump, while the lowest approval rating was expressed by Muslims at 18 percent.

About 60,000 respondents categorized as Protestant/other Christian responded with 48 percent approval. In the same category, which includes any Christians who do not identify as Catholic or Mormon, non-Hispanic white respondents expressed about 60 percent approval, mirroring the approval rate of Mormons.

Only 10 percent of black Protestants and 28 percent of Hispanic Protestants approved.

According to a report about the poll data by Gallup, the results are indicative of the current relationship between religion and politics, with Mormons and Protestants as a whole typically approving of Republican presidents while disapproving of Democratic presidents.

Gallup’s analysis of Barack Obama’s approval among religious groups showed a similar pattern in reverse, with 72 percent of Muslims approving of the 44th president’s job and only 18 percent of Mormons expressing approval.

Among Catholics, 38 percent expressed approval, which is about the same approval rate of the overall U.S. adult population at 39 percent.

The Jewish population’s approval rating stood at 26 percent. The Jewish religious group, as a whole, typically leans toward Democratic candidates, reflected in exit poll data showing 71 percent of Jews voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 general election, compared to 23 percent who voted for Trump.

Around 22 percent of nonreligious and other non-Christian respondents approved of Trump’s job in office.

The results of the poll are based on more than 122,000 interviews conducted as part of Gallup Daily tracking in 2017.

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