please repost freely -- all typos are mine
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Release:  Thursday, 18 June 1992
          9:00 am
          University of Notre Dame

Contact:  Mike W. Miller   (for general information)
          (219) 239-8024   (work)
          (219) 237-0788   (home/fax/message)

          Catholics Speak Out    (for survey information)
          (301) 699-0042   (voice)
          (301) 864-2182   (fax)

- ------------------------------------
On the occassion of the National Catholic Bishops Conference on the
University of Notre Dame campus, the results of a major new Gallup poll on
the attitudes of American Catholics has been released.  

The poll was sponsored by the following organizations:  Catholics Speak Out
(Mt. Ranier, MD); Women's Ordination Conference; New Ways Ministry (Mt.
Ranier, MD; gay and lesbian Catholic issues); FutureChurch (Cleveland, OH);
Dignity/USA (Washington D.C.); CORPUS (married priests); Call to Action
(Chicago, IL); and the Association for the Rights of Catholics in the
Church.

Further demographic and survey specifics follow the survey results.  

(These are not the full survey results.  For a complete set of results,
write to Catholics Speak Out; P.O. Box 5206; Hyattsville, MD 20782; or call
(301) 699-0042.)
--------------------------------------
Key Survey Results:

*Sexual relations between gay and lesbian persons in a committed
relationship can be morally acceptable.

               All     under 35     35-54     55 or older
Agree:          46         57         47          26
Disagree:       48         40         47          65
Other:           6          3          5           9


*In general, do you think homosexuals should or should not have equal
rights in terms of job opportunities?

               All     under 35     35-54     55 or older
Should:         78         81         79          72
Should not:     17         15         16          20
Other:           5          4          4           8

Data over time:     1977    1982    1989     1992
Should:              58      67      76       78
Should not:          31      24      12       17
Other:               10       9      12        5


*It would be a good thing if women were ordained as priests.

               All     under 35     35-54     55 or older
Agree:          67         80         66          50
Disagree:       29         18         30          49
Other:           3          2          5           1

Data over time:     1974    1977    1979    1982    1985     1992
Agree:               29      36      40      44      47       67
Disagree:            65      57      53      50      47       29
Other:                6       7       7       6       6        3


*The Church should permit married couples to make their own decisions about
forms of birth control.

               All     under 35     35-54     55 or older
Agree:          87         93         90          74
Disagree:       10          6          7          20
Other:           3          1          2           6


*Would you favor allowing Catholic priests to marry and continue to
function as priests?

               All        men        women    
Favor:          70         65         75         
Oppose:         26         31         22         
Other:           4          4          4         


*Do you believe that abortion should be:

                         All     under 35     35-54     55 or older
Illegal always:           13          9         11          21
Legal in extreme cases:   33         29         29          45
Legal in many or all:     52         60         58          31
Other:                     3          2          2           4

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Survey Respondants:

Total:        802

Male:          48.9
Female:        51.1

18-34:         41.9
35-54:         32.7
55-  :         24.5

College Grad:  20.4
Some College:  22.4
High School:   56.5

East:          40.9
Midwest:       22.1
South:         19.4
West:          17.6

White:         71.3
Hispanic:      19.2
Black/other:    9.5

$50,000+:      19.9
25,000-50,000: 35.2
under 25,000:  36.4

Poll complete by random stratefied telephone contact.  Only respondants who
identified themselves as Catholic were used.  Error:  plus or minus 4%.
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