As April comes to a close and the leading candidates from both major parties widen their lead, it\u2019s time for yet another poll of Buddhist<\/a> political leanings. If you\u2019ve voted before, vote again! This process allows for longitudinal analysis (seeing how preferences change over time) alongside the monthly numbers.<\/p>\n As noted last month, a\u00a0new question seeks to differentiate between \u201ccradle\u201d, \u201cconvert\u201d, and \u201csympathizer\u201d Buddhists. As Wakoh Shannon Hickey wrote in 2010 (.pdf<\/a>):<\/p>\n If we want to consider questions of religious identity, categories suggested by Thomas Tweed are useful. Cradle Buddhists<\/em> are people born into Buddhist families, regardless of their race or national origin, so this group includes both immigrants and the children of converts. Converts<\/em> include both immigrants and people born in the United States who were not raised Buddhist, but who later identify themselves with Buddhism and formally affiliate with it in some way. Some converts may also have multiple affiliations. Sympathizers<\/em> are people who identify primarily with other religions, or with no religion, but are influenced by Buddhist thought and may engage in Buddhist practices (Tweed, 2002).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n All else will be the same as last month except the addition of one\u00a0optional<\/em> question:<\/p>\n If your preference has changed recently, would you like to say why? (Optional: these may be used in reporting on poll data but will remain 100% anonymous)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n On to the poll itself (please complete as fully as possible and spread the word):<\/p>\n