In Politics, the ‘God Gap’ Overshadows Other Differences
By PETER STEINFELS
Published: December 9, 2006

Why is there so much fascination with the so-called God gap, the finding that the more religiously observant Americans are, the more likely they are to vote Republican? Or, to put it the other way round, the more secular Americans are, the more likely they are to vote Democratic?

The question was raised Tuesday by Karlyn Bowman, a resident fellow and public opinion expert at the American Enterprise Institute, at a conference for journalists sponsored by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life.

Ms. Bowman was not questioning the reality of the God gap, which actually widened in the November elections. Although Democrats made gains among virtually every religious group and even cut into the Republican advantage among weekly worshipers, the gap still widened because Democrats made even greater gains among the less religiously active and affiliated. the rest