ABC News/Washington Post Monthly Poll, April 2005

This poll, conducted April 21-24, 2005, is part of a
continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on
the current presidency and on a range of other political and social
issues. Respondents were queried on such topics as Social Security
benefits, parenthood, young people joining the military, capital
punishment, same-sex marriage, stem cell research, and whether
abortion should be legal in all cases. Respondents were asked how
President George W. Bush was handling his presidency, the economy, the
situation in Iraq, and the United States campaign against terrorism. A
series of questions also focused on Tom Delay, the majority leader of
the United States House of Representatives, and the ethics charges
made against him, and whether he should step down as majority
leader.
A random national sample of 1,082 adults were given this poll,
including an oversample of 284 Catholic respondents, who were asked an
additional group of questions about Pope Benedict XVI and the Catholic
Church. Questions asked included their feelings about the selection of
Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as pope, whether they approved or
disapproved of the selection, if they thought he should maintain the
traditional policies of the Church, and what should be his highest
priority (e.g., responding to the concerns of women in the Church,
encouraging human rights, or addressing the issue of sexual abuse by
priests). Other questions included whether the Roman Catholic Church
was in touch with the views of Catholics in America, whether the
respondent would want their son to become a priest, and whether they
would support the Catholic Church denying communion to Catholic
politicians who are in favor of legal abortion.
Demographic variables include race, gender, age, level of
education, income, political party affiliation, political philosophy,
and religious affiliation.