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Abstract
This research note examines the determinants of British Catholics’ social attitudes using a nationally representative survey undertaken in 2010. It examines attitudes towards abortion and homosexuality, issues where the Church has clear moral teachings and has recently intervened in national debates, but where significant proportions of Catholics currently hold dissenting views. Noteworthy findings are the consistent role played by sex, age, and religious commitment in underpinning attitudes towards social issues, while party political support only affects attitudes towards homosexuality. Men, older people, and those who attend religious services more frequently represent the sections of the Catholic community which are particularly likely to hold traditionalist views that accord with official Church teaching.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank the anonymous reviewers of the Journal of Contemporary Religion for their comments and suggestions regarding an earlier version of this research note. I am very grateful to YouGov for making the survey dataset available for academic research. I am solely responsible for the analysis and interpretation of the survey data.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Ben Clements
Dr Ben Clements is a Lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the University of Leicester, UK. His research interests include public attitudes towards religious groups and institutions, religion and political behaviour, religion and social attitudes, and religious issues in British politics. CORRESPONDENCE: Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK, e-mail: [email protected]