To the Editor:
Peter Gray speculates about why the percentage of white evangelicals in the U.S. electorate increased from 14 percent in 2000 to 23 percent in 2004 ("Evaluating the Evangelical Vote," Jan. 19). The answer is, it didn't.
The questions asked in the 2000 and 2004 exit polls were different. In 2000, respondents were asked if they considered themselves supporters of "the religious right." In 2004, they were asked if they considered themselves evangelical Christians. Not surprisingly, a larger percentage of voters identified themselves as evangelicals than as supporters of the religious right.
Other evidence from the 2000 and 2004 exit polls indicates that the religious beliefs of the electorate changed very little between the two elections.
