Mormons: U.S. ready for Mormon president

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Mormons say the United States is ready to elect a Mormon president, a survey released Thursday indicated.

The Pew Research Center surveyed more than 1,000 U.S. Mormons and while many Mormons said they feel misunderstood, discriminated against and not accepted by others in mainstream society, a majority said acceptance of Mormons is rising.

Pew's Forum on Religion and Public Life said Mormons, who make up nearly 2 percent of the U.S. population, appear overwhelmingly satisfied with their lives and content with their communities.

Nearly half of Mormons said they face a lot of discrimination in the United States and 68 percent say Americans as a whole do not see Mormonism as part of mainstream society. However, 63 percent said Americans are becoming more accepting and 56 percent of those surveyed say the American people are ready for a Mormon president.

The Pew survey found Mormons are nearly unanimous in describing Mormonism as a Christian religion but 50 percent say they perceive hostility directed toward them from evangelical Christians.

Two-thirds of Mormons describe themselves as politically conservative, and 74 percent of Mormon voters identify with or lean toward the Republican Party.

The survey was conducted between Oct. 25 and Nov. 16 with 1,019 Americans who describe their religion as Mormon. The margin of error is plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.