Washington D.C., Feb 14, 2012 / 12:52 pm
Most U.S. Catholic voters disapprove of President Barack Obama's job performance and support Mitt Romney, according to a February 2012 survey by the polling firm Rasmussen Reports.
Its national telephone survey, conducted Feb. 6-12 amid controversy over the federal contraception mandate, found that 59 percent of likely Catholic voters at least “somewhat disapprove” of the Obama presidency.
While 54 percent of Catholics voted for Obama in the 2008 election, only 35 percent of likely Catholic voters in Rasmussen's latest poll said they were currently backing him in the 2012 race. Support for Mitt Romney among likely Catholic voters currently stands at 52 percent.
In total, Rasmussen found, Catholics who “strongly disapprove” of the president comprised 44 percent of the faith's likely voters. They outnumbered, by more than two-to-one, those Catholics who say they “strongly approve” of the current presidency.