Analysis: Latino faith shift aids Bush

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- The conversion of many Hispanics to evangelicalism has contributed significantly to their support for president George W. Bush, a Protestant Latino church leader told United Press International Tuesday.

According to the latest survey of the California-based Barna Research Group, the Latinos' opinion of the president differs little from that of whites but varies considerably from the views of African-Americans.

Overall, 84 percent of white Americans, 76 percent of Hispanics and 59 percent of blacks approve "strongly" or "somewhat" of Bush's job performance.

In some ways, the Barna survey suggests, Hispanics have shed pre-election prejudice against Bush just as much as whites. Of both groups, 69 percent now view the president as "smart enough for the job," while only 44 percent of blacks felt that way.

Almost as many Hispanics as whites -- 58 vs. 60 percent -- voiced the belief that Bush had "a real vision for the future of the United States."

"The results for Latinos represents a paradigm shift," said John Mendez, vice president for ministries of the National Association of Evangelicals, in an interview.

He linked these findings to another Barna poll showing that almost half the Hispanics in the United States are now evangelicals, a figure vehemently disputed by Alejandro Aquila, associate director for Hispanic affairs at the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington.

"Our figures show that 70 percent of the United States Latinos are still Roman Catholics," he insisted.

Aquila conceded that for some time many Hispanics had switched to evangelical -- mainly Pentecostal -- denominations because they catered better to their need. But he added the marked improvement of the Catholic Church's Hispanic ministries has stopped this trend.

Commenting on the latest Barna poll released on Monday, Mendez explained that evangelicalism promoted attitudes generally associated with a conservative worldview. "What drives Hispanics is not just the desire to succeed in this country but also to be contributive," he said.

"They don't fall for victimology."

"We very much think along the lines of President (John F.) Kennedy's statement, 'Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.' I know that Kennedy was a Democrat, but this attitude is now considered conservative," Mendez said.

Mendez put this into a religious context. "The Gospel is effective among Hispanics. They are very God-fearing," he said. "The Gospel informs their desire to be good citizens."

Aquila did not dispute this but added that non-religious factors enhanced Bush's standing among Latinos as well.

He suggested the Bush White House's generally "pro-Hispanic policies" were paying off. "The Bush administration's favourable stance on the legalization of illegal aliens was well received, especially among Mexican-Americans, who make up 64 percent of all U.S. Hispanics."

But like Mendez, Aquila stated, "Hispanic Americans are closing the gap to the rest of the population. They are no longer up for grabs in politics. The Hispanic vote is no captive like the African-American vote, which is clearly Democratic."