Mormons hold peculiar place in politics, survey reveals

PROVO — Mormons are a peculiar people — not only in their religious beliefs, but in the political arena as well, several professors and officials explained Friday.

During the symposium "Religion and Politics: The Philosophical Problem and Its Contemporary Implications," presented by BYU's Tocqueville Project, several professors explored the role and influence of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in politics.

BYU political science assistant professor Chris Karpowitz outlined a study that confirmed that Latter-day Saints are, as a whole, reliably Republican.

Not too surprising.

However, his group's unique findings were that even when compared with their fellow Republicans, Mormons are still peculiar, with a "distinct set of political attitudes," Karpowitz said.

The study surveyed 35,000 Americans, including 250 Latter-day Saints, and the rough data showed that Mormons are more conservative than self-proclaimed, born-again Christians in some areas and less conservative in other areas.

"The finding is … Mormons and evangelicals may appear to be politically sympathetic, but it's wrong to infer that these two groups are always in sync," Karpowitz said.

For example, it's the evangelicals, not Mormons, who more often picked the title "very conservative."

And Mormons overwhelmingly support the church's stance on abortion (only in cases of rape, incest or the health of the mother), whereas evangelicals are more likely to say abortion should never be permitted.

The findings are slightly distressing, Karpowitz explained, because it may mean that Mormons are written off as just the same as all other Republicans, when that's often not the case.

Quin Monson, also an assistant professor of political science at BYU, shared his findings that people refrain from voicing negative views about the thought of women, blacks or Baptists holding public office, but not against Mormons. This came after a study of the recent election involving Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney.

"People have bias against a Mormon serving as president," Monson said, "and they're more than happy to say it in polite company."

However, it's important to avoid the bickering and negativity that can exist in the political sphere, said attorney David Leavitt.

Leavitt explained that members of the LDS Church, along with most Christians, believe they have a responsibility to serve others.

However, the ability to give meaningful service is lost when individuals participate in politics in a non-Christlike way, he said.