One of the most persistent problems in political dialogue and reporting is that the same term means different things to different people. In the wake of Easter, one simple example involves the term "evangelical". Some view the term as a religious description; others use it politically or socially.

One commonly accepted definition of "evangelical" from a religious perspective is the Bebbington Quadrilateral. It outlines four essential characteristics:

The person has had a "transformative experience where [they] accepted Jesus into their heart."
They believe sharing the good news of Jesus Christ is important
They rely on the Bible to guide their personal decisions and actions
They believe it is important to speak up for the marginalized of the world.

Depending upon how you measure it, between 18% and 34% of voters might be considered Evangelical under this definition.

The larger number includes people who claim to have had the transformative experience and rate the other factors as at least Somewhat Important.

A stricter definition would be someone who claims to have had the transformational experience and says that the other factors are all Very Important to them. This group makes up 27% of self-identified Christians and 18% of all voters.

The most recent data cited is from a Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 Registered Voters conducted online by Scott Rasmussen April 9-10, 2025. Field work for the survey was conducted by RMG Research, Inc. and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1.