One would hope there is a connection between Catholics' religious commitment and their views on public policy issues. But is there?

One aspect of religious commitment is the extent of Catholics' identification with the Catholic faith. About 80 percent of Catholics say being a Catholic is a very important part of who they are. About two-thirds say they cannot imagine being anything but Catholic. Two out of three also say there is something special about being Catholic that one cannot find in other religions. Fifty to 60 percent say Catholicism contains a greater share of the truth than other religions.

Another dimension of commitment is Catholics' attachment to the institutional church. Sixty to 70 percent say they would never leave the church. Two-thirds are registered parishioners. Just over 40 percent say the church is the most important part, or among the most important parts, of their lives, and a similar percent attend Mass at least once a week.

In public policy, a majority of Catholics embrace the broad principles of the church's social teachings and the church's stance on many specific issues. Most Catholics say helping the needy is an important part of their religious beliefs. About three-quarters say economic decisions that increase poverty are immoral. Similar numbers of Catholics believe poverty results from social conditions such as the lack of jobs and low wages (only one in five blame it on the poor themselves).

Catholics are more divided on other social issues. About half say one cannot be a good Catholic without donating time or money to help the poor. Half also believe that Catholics have a duty to try to close the gap between the rich and the poor. Catholics tend to disagree with the church on capital punishment, with a majority favoring stiffer enforcement of the death penalty.

The Massachusetts Supreme Court's recent ruling in favor of gay marriage and the California Supreme Court's ruling that Catholic Charities must provide birth control benefits for its employees indicate that sexual and reproductive issues are not just matters of personal morality. They also are matters of public policy. What are Catholics' views on these issues?

Catholics are sharply divided on homosexuality. About half of Catholics believe homosexual behavior is always immoral; the other half say it is completely up to the individual to decide. About one-third say abortion is always wrong, one-third say it is usually wrong but acceptable under certain circumstances, and one-third say it is strictly up to the individual. Only one-quarter say pre-marital sex is always wrong, and even fewer (about 10 percent) say artificial birth control is wrong.

Finally, there is a clear connection between religious commitment and agreement with church teachings on public policy matters. The more highly committed Catholics are, the more their views on both social issues and sexual-reproductive issues coincide with official church teachings.

Highly committed Catholics are about 10 times as likely as those who are low in commitment to agree with church teachings on sexual and reproductive issues. They are about twice as likely to accept the church's social teachings as are Catholics who are low in commitment. Disagreement is greatest among people who tend not to identify with the faith and are least attached to the church.

The good news for church leaders is that the church affects the way laypeople think about matters of public policy. The bad news is that this connection is not as tight as many church leaders would like it to be. If leaders want a closer alignment between church teachings and the views of the laity, they need to promote Catholic identity and attachment to the church.

James D. Davidson is professor of sociology at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana.