When it comes to polling Catholics about their views on social issues, the faithful need to look behind the numbers before drawing any conclusions.

In a revealing article by Austin Ruse appearing on Bretibart, the head of the Center for Family and Human Rights points to a new study by the very liberal (and protestant) Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) which makes the erroneous claim that Catholics are “left-wing” when it comes to social issues such as gay marriage, climate change, and even abortion.

For instance, the PRRI found that six in ten (60%) of Catholics polled favor allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally with 53 percent saying same-sex marriage does not go against their religious beliefs.

“On the issue of abortion, Catholic attitudes generally mirror Americans overall,” the PRRI reports. “A majority (53%) of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 43% say it should be illegal. Among Catholics, a slim majority (51%) says abortion should be legal in all or most cases, compared to 45% who say it should be illegal.”

On the subject of climate change, the PRRI found that more than seven in ten Catholics (73%) believe the government should do more to address climate change.

If the above numbers are true, the U.S. bishops have cause to be very alarmed.

But are they?

Not likely. According to Ruse, “the poll helps progressives by commingling the view of Catholics with former Catholics and non-Catholics, and by selecting an more-left–than-average sample of Americans.”

For example, the overall poll included 1,331 people, of which 52 percent had a favorable view of President Barack Obama; however, the latest Gallup poll only shows 46 percent public approval for Obama overall. Could it be possible that most of Obama’s supporters are Catholics?

Not hardly.

As Ruse, explains, “The poll characterized Catholics’ views by including 346 people who said they were raised Catholic plus 238 people who were raised Catholic but had left the church. But the ‘former Catholics are more likely than current Catholics to identify as politically liberal (37% vs. 27%, respectively) and as political independents (50% vs. 36%, respectively),’ the PRRI admitted in its press release.”

The poll makes no distinction between practicing and non-practicing Catholics, Ruse continues. Those who practice their faith and attend Mass weekly, overwhelmingly support Church teaching on gay marriage and abortion while “cultural” Catholics, who may not have been to Mass in years, tend to oppose Church teaching on these same issues.

Judging by the breakdown of people PRRI polled, Ruse surmises: “It is entirely possible the survey did not find a single practicing Catholic.”

Naturally, this hidden skew created discordant results that portray Catholics as being far more left-leaning than they really are.

But we shouldn’t be surprised, Ruse says, “given that the non-profit’s directors are a coterie of left-wing ministers and academics, including several connected to hard-left Huffington Post and People for the American Way.

For instance, Rabbi David Saperstein serves on the PRRI’s board. He also serves on the board of People for the American Way and is the publisher of “Right-Wing Watch”, which regularly vilifies mainstream conservatives.

Academic David Gushee also serves on the board, Ruse reports. Not only is he a public supporter of abortion rights and a recent convert to the campaign for same-sex marriage, he also published a book making the biblical and theological case for gay marriage.

“Board member Diana Butler Bass is a doctrinaire progressive who supports gay marriage,” Ruse writes. “She opposes religious freedom for those small business owners who have a religious objection to serving gay weddings. She wanted to force the Catholic Church to accept gay marriage in the District of Columbia.”

He concludes: “A simple Google search of each of the board members shows that the Public Religion Research Institute is little more than a front group for the Democratic progressivism. It is no wonder they are so loved by the New York Times and no wonder their ‘research’ finds most Americans, and now most Catholics agree with their left-wing views.”

In other words, don’t believe every poll you read.

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