Title
Race as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Religiosity and Political Alignment
School/Department
Rosemead School of Psychology
Publication Date
3-2009
Abstract
Religiosity, especially religious fundamentalism, is often assumed to have an inherent connection with conservative politics. This article proposes that the relationship varies by race in the United States. In Study 1, race moderated the relationships between religiosity indicators and political alignment in a nationally representative sample. In Study 2, the effect replicated in a student sample with more reliable measures. Among both Black and Latino Americans, the relationship between religiosity and conservative politics is far weaker than it is among White Americans, and it is sometimes altogether absent. In Study 3, a tradition-focused view of religion was found to more strongly mediate the link between religiosity and political attitudes among Whites than it did among Blacks and Latinos. It is argued that the relationship between religiosity and political alignment is best understood as a product of cultural—historical conditions associated with group memberships.
Keywords
Race, Culture, Fundamentalism, Religion, Conservatism, Political attitudes
Publication Title
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Volume
35
Issue
3
First Page
271
Last Page
282
DOI of Published Version
10.1177/0146167208328064
Recommended Citation
Hill, Peter C., "Race as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Religiosity and Political Alignment" (2009). Faculty Articles & Research. 615.
https://digitalcommons.biola.edu/faculty-articles/615