Poll examines social issues

Compared to Hispanic Americans, African-Americans are far more likely to believe abortion should be legal in most circumstances, even when they personally reject the procedure as immoral.

That's one finding of a poll by the Public Religion Research Institute, which also explored these groups' attitudes toward birth control and the extent to which their churches influence their opinions.

Three-quarters of both groups ranked the economy as a critical issue facing the country. Abortion, by contrast, was called critical by 3 in 10 Hispanic respondents and even fewer (17 percent) of African-Americans.