'Moral values' remain murky
January 11, 2008
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January 10, 2008
American public opinion can evade journalists and pollsters, evidenced by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton"s unexpected victory in the New Hampshire primary.
But there also is a disconnect when it comes to the simple phrase "moral values." News organizations and the voting public don"t see eye to eye on these words, according to research.
"A large majority of those who say moral values are very important in their voting choices are thinking about the characters of the candidates, not their positions on controversial issues," said a Harris poll released yesterday.
It found that 85 percent of the respondents said "moral values" influenced their voting decisions. Among Republicans, the number was 92 percent, among Democrats, 82 percent, with a stronger divide between conservatives (93 percent) and liberals (71 percent).
When asked to define moral values, 78 percent said they were referring to a candidate"s personal characteristics — honesty, integrity, family values, character, sense of right or wrong, trustworthiness, biblical values — in that order. Thirty percent said moral values meant a candidate"s actual position on issues.
"These findings show that pollsters, journalists and commentators must be very careful not to assume that voters who feel strongly about 'moral values" are primarily concerned with issues such as abortion, homosexuality, gay marriage, stem cell research, gun control or any of the other issues often associated with the Christian Right or the conservative base of the Republican Party," the survey said.
