Religion and polarization in American politics

Abstract

One bedrock finding in the study of mass politics is that religious behavior affects political behavior. However, the successes of movements such as the Christian right have complicated matters. Using a variety of methods, I find that, as religious conservatism has become an exemplar of political conservatism, political behavior has come to affect the religious behavior of a significant number of Americans. Specifically, political predispositions are now a key factor for many individuals’ social integration and organizational satisfaction with evangelical Protestant churches. Republicans sort into while Democrats sort out of frequent attendance in these churches. The resulting void of Democrats in evangelical churches contributes to polarization of the broader political environment.