A new poll suggests a generational shift may be underway among white evangelicals:

According to a new poll for the PBS news program RELIGION & ETHICS NEWSWEEKLY, conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research Inc., although white evangelical Christians have voted overwhelmingly Republican for the last 20 years, younger evangelicals are less supportive of John McCain than evangelicals over 30.

The September survey found that almost three-quarters (71 percent) of white evangelicals say they support McCain for president, compared to 23 percent who support Barack Obama. But the margin closes to 62-30 percent among white evangelicals ages 18-29. Younger white evangelical women are much less favorable toward Sarah Palin than their mothers, with only 46 percent of them rating her “warmly,” compared to 65 percent of evangelical women over 30.

The survey also found generational differences on key social issues. A majority of younger white evangelicals (58 percent) support some form of legal recognition for civil unions or marriage for same-sex couples. Older evangelicals remain strongly opposed. At the same time, young evangelicals are as solidly pro-life on abortion as older evangelicals.

Download the full report here.

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