GOP-Democratic gap widening, poll finds

As differences in beliefs grow, voter affiliations with parties evening out

The study found religious belief is as strong a factor as income in predicting which party voters will support. And like other recent studies, the poll suggests that religious practice may be an even stronger predictor of partisan behavior than religious belief. The survey found one of the sharpest divides in attitudes toward Bush's re-election followed the frequency of church attendance.

Overall, the poll found voters split evenly, 43 percent to 43 percent, on whether they would prefer Bush or an unnamed Democrat in 2004. But Bush led by 26 percentage points among voters who attended church at least once a week; and led among those who attended either weekly or a few times a month. Those who attended church only once or twice a year gave the Democrat a narrow margin, while those who attended rarely or never preferred the Democrat by 24 percentage points.

The poll reported greater tolerance since 1987 on several questions involving race and homosexuality. Although gaps exist along lines of partisanship and religious belief, the trend toward tolerance is significant among both Democrats and Republicans, and the religiously devout and the secular.

For instance, the share of Americans who believe "it's all right for blacks and whites to date" has jumped from 48 percent in 1987 to 76 percent now.

The Los Angeles Times is a Tribune Publishing newspaper.