The Conservatives' lead over Labour has narrowed to 8% in a new poll published by Theos, as the findings also suggest that religion could be crucial as the election closes in.  The opinion poll, conducted for Theos by ComRes, found that 61% of Christians whose faith is of great importance say they are "absolutely certain" to vote, while amongst the public as a whole this falls to 47%.

With the decline in the Conservatives' lead there has been increased speculation about what would happen if no party won a majority of seats, leading to a hung parliament.  In this context the voting behaviour of different groups is coming under close scrutiny.  The Conservative share of the Christian vote has seen only a marginal increase since 2005, growing from 38% to 40% despite more significant improvements for the Conservative Party in the wider electorate.  This could be due to the lack of any consensus over which party has been friendliest towards the Christian faith in recent years: 21% backed the Conservatives, 20% Labour and 9% Liberal Democrat.  In contrast 49% of Muslims say that Labour is most friendly towards their faith.

The Evangelical Alliance surveyed over 800 people at the Momentum festival last summer and found that 81% of the respondents intend to vote.  With active Christians amongst the most likely to vote in the coming election the Alliance and member organisations have produced a range of resources to help as the campaign gathers pace.

The Alliance's election website offers an introduction to the main political parties and an overview of their stances on a wide range of issues.  Churches are often the only community groups to hold election hustings so a guide has been developed to offer easy steps planning and holding a public meeting during the election.

Evangelical Alliance member organisations including CARE have also launched election websites to help Christians engage in the political process in the coming months.  The Bible Society's recently launched SUSA website provides further information about how to take political engagement beyond placing your vote in the ballot box.

News links

Telegraph comment: General Election 2010 - David Cameron should have more faith in the Christian vote

Theos: Religion and Politics - A new opinion poll

Christian Today: Conservatives cannot afford to lose Christian support, says Theos

Theos: Is Labour winning the Muslim vote?

Guardian comment: Muslim voters' Labour loyalty

Ekklesia: Exploding the myths surrounding the 'religious vote'

Sunday Times: Gordon Brown's tears help cut gap with Tories