WASHINGTON, Nov 4: Exit interviews with US voters show that moral values - not the occupation of Iraq, the economy or terrorism - was the biggest issue that concerned them in the elections.

President Bush defeated Senator John Kerry by 3.5 million votes, and he received special support - a a net one million vote improvement over 2000 - in 11 states that passed ballot initiatives to ban gay marriage.

The initiatives served as a catalyst to motivate conservative evangelical Christians to come to the polls on Tuesday. The condemnation of gay marriage was an integral part of the Bush White House strategy in consolidating their conservative base.

Exit polls of 13,531 voters around the country showed 22 per cent were most concerned about "moral values", 20 per cent worried about the economy, 19 per cent identified terrorism and only 15 per cent named Iraq as their top priority.

The results have surprised pundits a day after the bitterly fought election, who said the media had missed moral values as a driving issue in the election in the build up to Tuesday's vote. Doug Schoen, a Democratic strategist, told Bloomberg News Service that it was "the hidden issue" of the election.

The airwaves were filled with debate on Wednesday over the new import of religion and church identity in US politics.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi told Cable News Network that Mr Bush and the religious right have "dangerously blurred the line between church and state".

Of the 22 per cent interviewed in exit polls who identified moral values as their top concern, 85 per cent voted for Mr Bush.

Mr Bush performed extremely well among people who attend church at leat once a week, outstripping Mr Kerry by 22 points. He even took more support from Catholic voters - 52 per cent - than Mr Kerry's 48 per cent, even though Mr Kerry is Catholic. Conservative Christians object to Mr Kerry's pro-choice stance on abortion.

As had been expected, Mr Kerry had heavy support from 52 per cent of women voters, while Mr Bush was popular among men, with 54 per cent.

Latinos threw 55 per cent of their votes to Mr Kerry, as did 90 per cent of African Americans.

Mr Kerry drew more support from voters with higher education Level. -dpa