Gallup says Oregon is non-religious, liberal, and dislikes Trump

OK, the "headline" of this blog post isn't surprising news.  

Still, political junkies like me love to pour over the statistics Gallup shared in a State of the States report, which is based on 2017 data. Below are screenshots for Oregon, the nation as a whole, Washington, and California. 

Here's some key takeaways:

Trump approval. Only 36% of Oregonians approve of  Trump, just a bit less than the 38% for the nation as a whole. Of the three West Coast states, California is the least approving of Trump at 29%, with Washington at 34%.

Republican vs. Democrat leaning. Only 36% of Oregonians lean Republican and 49% lean Democrat, which produces a 13% Democratic advantage. This is nearly double the national 7% Democratic advantage, but less than the 15% Democratic advantage in Washington and the 21% Democratic advantage in California.

Conservative vs. Liberal. Oregon has a higher percentage of liberals, 31%, than conservatives, 28%. Oregon moderates are at 36%, the national average. Oregon's conservative advantage thus is -3%, which is the same as California and greater than Washington's -1%. Nationally conservatives outnumber liberals by 33% to 24%, producing a +9 advantage for conservatives.

Economic Confidence. Oregon rates a 3, the nation as a whole is 6, Washington is 8, California is 1. Gallup explains this measure: "Gallup's Economic Confidence Index is based on state residents' views of economic conditions in the U.S. today, and whether they think economic conditions in the country are getting better or getting worse." So political leanings must affect how people see the economy. 

Religiosity. Oregon is one of the five least religious states nationally, with 48% of Oregonians saying they are non-religious (meaning: "religion is not important in their lives and say they seldom or never attend religious services"). Only Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire have a higher percentage of non-religious residents. Oregon is much less religious than the nation as a whole, and about the same as Washington.

Here's the screenshots from the State of the States report, with the map showing the percentage of non-religious residents.