Though most New York City voters do not consider religion a factor in choosing the next mayor, a Quinnipiac University poll released today found that New York City voters are less likely to elect an atheist or born-again Christian than a Muslim or a Mormon.
According to the results, 30 percent of city voters are less likely to vote for an atheist and 27 percent are less likely to elect a born-again Christian; they also said that they were 24 percent less likely to vote for a Mormon candidate and 19 percent less likely to choose a Muslim. But 61 percent of voters said that religious positions would not affect their vote.
The poll also asked voters about other characteristics outside of religion: 16 percent are less likely to vote for an overweight or obese person, 10 percent are less likely to vote for a gay or lesbian mayor and 1 percent said they are less likely to elect a woman.
The last two characteristics are particularly important since Christine Quinn is one of the top candidates in the 2013 New York City race for mayor. If she wins, Quinn will be the city’s first female mayor and the first openly gay one.
But those factors will have little effect on voters. The poll found that 29 percent of New York voters are planning on voting for her in the Democratic mayoral primaries. In second place was City Comptroller William Thompson with 10 percent and 9 percent of voters said they would elect city Comptroller John Liu and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer received 4 percent and only 1 percent of city voters said they would cast their ballot for newspaper publisher Tom Allon.
Quinnipiac also polled city voters about the recent Chick-fil-A controversy. The majority of voters (74 percent) believe a “business owner’s controversial or unpopular opinions should not affect the ability to get government permits to do business,” and that “elected officials should not try to discourage people from patronizing such a business.”
