Mainline Protestants make up nearly 1-in-5 American adults. In 2004, they accounted for nearly a quarter of the total electorate and split their vote between Bush and Kerry. Yet despite this they are too often ignored by much of the mainstream press. On March 6, Public Religion Research released the 2008 Clergy Voices Survey, the broadest survey of mainline clergy every conducted. The survey revealed levels of political engagement among clergy during the 2008 election season, attitudes on social and economic issues, and the public role of the church.

Among the wealth of details revealed by the survey. We found that mainline clergy are strong proponents of amore active role for government. Nearly 8-in-10 clergy say that the federal government should do more to solve social problems like unemployment, poverty and poor housing. More than two thirds agree that government should guarantee health insurance for all citizens, even if it means raising taxes. And nearly 7-in-10 say more environmental protection is needed, even if it raises prices or costs jobs.

To read the full report, click here.