Quaker Voting Poll 2008
www.gatheringinlight.com

How Quakers Voted in
2008
• 181 Reporting
• Poll ran November 6-10, 2008
• Visit initial post at http://tinyurl.com/5q5re6
• Some analysis in The Friend Nov. 13, 2008

Purpose
The purpose of the poll was to see if Quakers
voted similarly to national trends, how the
various branches voted, what the top issues
were, and if their faith orientation (Christian,
Universalist, Non-theist) played a role in how
they voted.

A List of the Questions

Questions
• What is your Friends association? *
• Evangelical Friends (Gurneyite)
• Liberal Friends (Hicksite)
• Conservative Friends (Wilburite)
• Beanite Friends
• Independent Friends
• Other:

Questions
• Who did you vote for?
• McCain-Palin
• Obama-Biden
• Third Party
• Didn't vote for faith reasons
• Didn't vote for personal reasons

Questions
• Please select four issues • Healthcare
that went into your final
decision. • Character
• War • Faith
• Economics • Party Affiliation
• Energy/Environment • Race
• Abortion • Experience
• Equal Rights • Foreign Policy
• Immigration • Individual Liberty
• Education • Transparency
• Other:

Questions
• Do you consider yourself a convergent
Friend? Not required to answer
• Yes
• No
• A What?

Questions
• Basis of Your Faith
• Christian
• Post-Christian
• Universalist
• Non-Theist
• Other:

Summary
• Who Turned Out to Vote • Top 5 Voting Issues
• Liberal - 46% • War - 26%
• Evangelical - 26% • Energy/Environment - 22%
• Beanite - 10% • Economics - 20%
• Conservative - 7% • Healthcare - 19%
• Independent - 6% • Character - 14%
• Other - 5% • Basis of Faith for Voters
• Who Quakers Voted For • Christian - 132
• Obama/Biden - 83% • Universalist - 23
• McCain-Palin - 9% • Post-Christian - 12
• Third-Party - 3% • Convergent Friends?
• No Vote b/c Faith - 3% • Yes - 40%
• No Vote b/c personal - 2% • No - 16%
• A What? - 31%

Polls

Compare Sojourners’
Election Issues Poll
(11.04)

For more go to http://tinyurl.com/64v6gk

Compare NY Times
Exit Polls

For more go to http://tinyurl.com/6hl23z

Graphs Relating to How
Quakers Voted in 2008

Who Voted?
Evangelical Liberal Conservative Independent
Beanite Other
5%
10%
26%
6%
7%
46%

How They Voted
Obama McCain
Third Party Didn’t Vote For Faith Reasons
Didn’t Vote for Personal Reasons
2%
3%3%
9%
83%

Who Did the Groups Vote For?
Obama McCain
Third Party Didn’t Vote For Faith Reasons
Didn’t Vote for Personal Reasons
.00
.25
.50
.75
0
Evangelical Liberal Conservative Independent Beanite Other

Who Did the Groups Vote For?
Evangelical Liberal Conservative Independent
Beanite Other
No Vote - Personal
No Vote - Faith
Third Party
McCain
Obama
0 37.5 75.0 112.5 150.0

Key Voting Issues to Quakers
14%
26%
19%
22%
20%
War Energy/Environment Economics Healthcare
Character

The 15 Issues Important to Quakers
150.0
112.5
75.0
37.5
0
2008
War Energy/Environment Economics
Healthcare Character Foreign Policy
Equal rights Education Faith
Transparency Abortion Party Affiliation
Experience Individual Liberty Immigration

Top 10 Voting Issues to Quakers
3% 3%
4% 19%
4%
6%
6%
16%
10%
14% 14%
War Energy/Environment Economics
Healthcare Character Foreign Policy
Equal rights Education Abortion
Faith Party Affiliation
*Healthcare and Education were tied for the tenth spot

Basis of Voter’s Faith
Christian Unversalist Post-Christian Non-Theists
150.0
112.5
75.0
37.5
0
Quakers Voting 2008

Convergent Friends?
Yes No A What? No Answer
13%
40%
31%
16%

War Energy/Environment Economics
Healthcare Character Abortion
Foreign Policy Equal Rights Education
Immigration Party Affiliation Experience
Faith Indv. Liberty Transparency
Hope
55.00
41.25
27.50
13.75
0
Evangelicals (54)Conservatives (10) Liberals (71) Independent (10) Beanite (16)

Evangeical (54) Liberal (71)
80
60
40
20
0
War Energy/Env Econ Health Character F.Policy Abortion Eq.Rights Party Edu
Vote percentages out of 100%

Conservatives (10) Independent (10) Beanite (16)
85.00
63.75
42.50
21.25
0
War Econ HealthEnergy/Env Char Edu F.Policy Eq.Rights Faith Abortion Immig.
Vote percentages out of 100%

War Energy/Environment Economics
Healthcare Character Abortion
Foreign Policy Equal Rights Education
Immigration Party Affiliation Experience
Faith Indv. Liberty Transparency
Hope
30.0
22.5
15.0
7.5
0
Evangelicals (54)

Top 10 Evangelical Voting Issues
War Energy/Environment Economics
Healthcare Character Abortion
Foreign Policy Education Experience
Transparency
4% 4% 15%
5%
6%
15%
9%
14%
16%
13%

Energy/Environment Character War
Economics Foreign Policy Faith
Healthcare Abortion Hope
Equal Rights Education Immigration
Party Affiliation Experience Indv. Liberty
Transparency
5.00
3.75
2.50
1.25
0
Conservatives (10)

Top 9 Conservative Voting Issues
Energy/Environment Character War Economics
Foreign Policy Faith Healthcare Abortion
Hope
4% 4%
7% 18%
11%
18%
11%
14% 14%
There were only nine that received votes

War Energy/Environment Economics
Healthcare Character Foreign Policy
Equal Rights Party Affiliation Education
Indv. Liberty Transparency Abortion
Faith Hope Immigration
Experience
55.00
41.25
27.50
13.75
0
Liberals (71)

Top 10 Liberal Voting Issues
War Energy/Environment Economics
Healthcare Character Foreign Policy
Equal Rights Party Affiliation Education
Indv. Liberty
3% 3%
4%
23%
6%
8%
10%
16%
14%
14%

War Energy/Environment Economics
Healthcare Equal Rights Education
Character Foreign Policy Faith
Transparency Abortion Immigration
Party Affiliation Experience Indv. Liberty
Hope
8
6
4
2
0
Independent (10)

Top 10 Independent Voting Issues
War Energy/Environment Economics
Healthcare Equal Rights Education
Character Foreign Policy Faith
Transparency
5% 2%
5% 19%
7%
10%
17%
10%
12% 14%

Economics Healthcare War
Energy/Environment Character Education
Immigration Foreign Policy Equal Rights
Party Affiliation Faith Transparency
Abortion Experience Indv. Liberty
Hope
15.00
11.25
7.50
3.75
0
Beanite (16)

Top 9 Beanite Voting Issues
Economics Healthcare War
Energy/Environment Character Education
Immigration Foreign Policy Equal Rights
Party Affiliation Faith Transparency
2% 2%
2%
5%
5% 21%
6%
6%
6% 18%
11%
16%
Party Affiliation, Faith and Transparency all received one vote