According to new findings from the latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press on the 2012 presidential race, many churchgoers say their clergy have encouraged them to vote, but fewer say their clergy have discussed the candidates directly or favored one over the other. Black Protestants are more likely than others to say they are hearing about the candidates at church: nearly half (45%) say the messages they hear favor a candidate, and every one of those says the message favors Barack Obama.

Regular churchgoers also report hearing about campaign issues from the pulpit. Three-quarters of those who say they attend religious services at least monthly (74%) say their clergy have recently spoken out about hunger and poverty. Roughly one-third say their clergy have spoken out about abortion (37%) and homosexuality (33%). Catholics report having heard about abortion from the pulpit at higher rates than other groups.

The full survey, which also explores campaigns' outreach efforts and activism, early voting and robo-calls, is available on the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press website.