WASHINGTON, D.C.--Who are the evangelicals? It is a question that has plagued politicians courting the vote of what a new survey has determined to be a widely diverse group.

A March 2004 poll by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, Inc. for "Religion & Ethics Newsweekly" and U.S. News & World Report found that evangelicals hold differing social and political views. In fact of only two beliefs that unified the surveyed group, one concerned theology.

An overwhelming majority of all evangelicals (84 percent) believe that personal faith in Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation. That compares with 38 percent of Catholics and 56 percent of non-evangelical Protestants.

The other notable consensus for the group concerned homosexual marriage. Some 84 percent of white evangelicals oppose gay marriage.

But what also characterizes evangelicals well, according to the survey, is a strong belief backed by a conviction only half as strong. That is, While 84 percent of evangelicals cited Christ as the only way to salvation, only half of white evangelicals and even fewer black evangelicals (42 percent) said they believe only born-again Christians will go to heaven.

Likewise while the clear majority opinion opposed gay marriage, most evangelicals (52 percent) prefer to rely on state law to prohibit gay marriage rather than an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. And only 48 percent of white evangelicals said a candidate's support for gay marriage would impact their vote.

More than three-quarters of American evangelicals also spoke out strongly against the downturn of American moral values. But their voices joined the 71 percent to 94 percent of all Americans who said they think moral values are seriously on the wrong track.

While there was large agreement on that point, 72 percent of evangelicals also said they feel the mass media is hostile to their moral and spiritual values, while only 35 percent of non-evangelicals think Americans look down on evangelicals.

Politically the differences among evangelicals were along racial lines. About 69 percent of white evangelicals have Republican leanings, while 84 percent of African American evangelicals identify themselves with Democrats.

John Green, organizer of the March survey, pointed to the racial differences in an Associated Press interview. "Black Evangelicals look like white Evangelicals in terms of many religious beliefs -- the view of the Bible, the view of salvation -- but when it comes to politics, they're almost exactly the opposite."

Green said 71 percent of white Evangelicals said they would vote for President Bush over Senator John Kerry if the election were held today, while about 85 percent of Black evangelicals said they would vote for Kerry.

Nevertheless, on many other domestic issues such as Social Security and health care, white evangelical thinking was found to be similar to that of other groups.

The nationwide survey of 1,610 adults defined evangelicals as Protestant or another Christian religious preference other than Roman Catholic, Orthodox or Mormon who do not consider themselves liberal or mainline and who call themselves born-again.

The survey will be the basis of an upcoming four-part "Religion and Ethics Newsweekly" series entitled, "America's Evangelicals," to be broadcast on PBS stations.