Survey shows high number of Catholics plan to vote in General Election

James Somerville-Meikle
Apr 9th, 2024

The Catholic Union has found that participation by Catholics in the next General Election is likely to be extremely high.

A survey of the Catholic Union's members and supporters found that just over 90 percent of responders were planning to vote in the upcoming General Election, which the Prime Minister has said is due to take place in the "second half of this year".

The figure is significantly higher than the average turnout for national polls, showing the importance of Catholic voters going into this next election. Average turnout for the past three General Elections stands at 67 percent nationally.

The survey also found a strong link between politics and religion with 92 percent of people saying that their faith and the teachings of the Catholic Church "help to influence" how they vote.

The results from the survey add further weight to the contribution of Catholic groups and charities ahead of the next General Election. The 4.5 million Catholics are the largest religious minority group in the country and one of the most politically active.

The top five issues identified in the survey as being of most concern to Catholics ahead of the election were care for the poor, religious freedom, family life, education, and life issues.

The Catholic Union will be using the results of the survey to inform a special election publication which will contain some key themes and questions for candidates ahead of the election. Further information will be coming shortly.

James Somerville-Meikle, Deputy Director of the Catholic Union, commented: "These results show that faith is not something that can be put in a box and kept out of public life. Faith is hugely important in terms of motivating people to vote and in deciding how to use that vote. There are over 4.5 million Catholics in Britain so this is not a community that politicians can afford to ignore.

"This survey is the first step in our General Election plans. We want to make sure that the voices of Catholics in this country are heard loudly and clearly by those who seek to lead and govern us. Please add your voice to ours by becoming a member of the Catholic Union so we can continue this important work."

Mike Kane, Vice President of the Catholic Union, said: "This is a really important election. I strongly encourage Catholics in this country, and everybody, to get involved and make your voice heard. Whatever your views, please make sure that you vote. Taking part in free and fair elections is a great gift and we should not take it for granted."

More information on the General Election survey can be found here: https://catholicunion.org.uk/2024/02/election-survey/
A breakdown of the survey results can be found at Appendix 1

Find out ways you can support the Catholic Union: https://catholicunion.org.uk/support-us/