Religious Right Lacks Wide Appeal, Poll Says : Politics: Liberal group funds a survey that finds most voters are concerned about values. But many are suspicious of officeholders who come on too strong about religion.

American voters may be concerned about moral values, but they are not necessarily drawn to the agenda of activist religious conservatives, a liberal policy group said Wednesday.

“Americans of all political stripes support and want to talk about strong families, the role of religion in our society, and values like personal responsibility,” said Arthur Kropp, president of People For the American Way. “But they don’t respect politicians who would go a step further and try to turn our political debates into a religious or culture war.”

The Washington group released the results of a poll by Peter D. Hart Research Associates on a number of volatile social issues that appear to polarize the nation into feuding religious camps.

Both liberals and conservatives could take comfort in the poll, which surveyed 1,002 voters by telephone between Aug. 1 and 6.

For example, 74% of those polled said they would support a political candidate who “put top priority on returning to traditional moral values,” the rhetorical touchstone of religious conservatives.

And by 51% to 34%, those polled said that the most serious problems in society stem mainly from a decline in moral values, rather than from economic and financial pressures on the family, another central argument of religious conservatives.

Nor did people seem to fear that the religious right was a threat. Sixty-one percent said critics of the right were raising exaggerated fears; only 28% described the influence of conservative religious groups as a serious problem.

At the same time, however, 53% of those questioned described “people trying to use government to impose their own religious viewpoints on others” as a very serious or fairly serious problem for the nation.

About 80% said people in government “should not let their private religious views be the most important consideration in public policy decisions.” Eighty-nine percent said political leaders should not question the religious faith of people with whom they disagree.

School prayer provides a classic case of Americans’ ability to make fine distinctions, according to the survey.

As polls since the 1960s have shown, Americans support politicians who back laws to allow organized prayer in public schools--in this instance by a 53%-22% margin.

But when those same supporters are asked about the consequences of that policy--having school board officials or administrators involved in selecting or approving prayers to be used--52% oppose and 35% support praying.

On other issues that have emerged in the culture war, which some critics say began with the sexual revolution of the 1960s, 60% said they would be more inclined to support a political candidate who believes that abortion decisions should be left up to the woman with few legal restrictions. Sixty-five percent said they would have serious concerns about efforts to make nearly all abortions illegal.

Similarly, 71% of those polled viewed favorably candidates who support comprehensive sex education that begins with abstinence but also includes information on birth control and disease prevention. Two-thirds said conservative opposition to teaching public school students about birth control caused them serious concern.

And by a margin of 66%-28%, those polled said they would prefer to see a focus on improving public schools rather than instituting a voucher program for private and religious education.