Gallup asked this question eight times, typically when a Mormon was running for president Poll: 18% oppose Mormon candidate

The percentage of Americans who would not vote for a Mormon presidential candidate because of his religion is the same today as it was in 1967 when George Romney ran for the White House, according to a new Gallup Poll on Thursday.

Today, 18 percent of respondents said they would not vote for a Mormon hopeful, compared with 17 percent who responded similarly in 1967. George Romney ran for president in the 1968 election cycle.


“Now, some 45 years later, George Romney’s son Mitt will be the Republican nominee — and the pattern of resistance to his Mormon religion has essentially not changed,” notes the polling firm.

However, the current figure of 18 percent is down from 22 percent a year ago.

Gallup has asked this question eight times since 1967, typically when a Mormon was running for president, for example during Sen. Orrin Hatch’s (R-Utah) 2000 presidential campaign. The percentage of respondents who indicated they would not vote for a Mormon has averaged 19 percent.

In the most recent survey, Democrats and those who are least educated are the most likely to discount a presidential candidate based on Mormonism.

The percentage of those who would oppose a Mormon candidate rises from 6 percent among those who have a postgraduate education to 23 percent among those who have a high school diploma or less.

Meanwhile, 24 percent of Democrats would oppose a candidate based on Mormonism, compared with only 10 percent of Republicans.

The Gallup Poll was conducted June 7-10 with a sample of 1,004 adults and a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.