News Release

Religious beliefs significantly tied to national political participation

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Wiley

Waco, TX – June 23, 2008 – A study recently published in Social Science Quarterly explores the effects of religious behaviors and beliefs on political participation and finds that religious beliefs play a more significant role than church attendance or religious traditions in political participation.

Robyn Driskell, Elizabeth Embry, and Larry Lyon, all of Baylor University, utilized data from the Baylor Religion Survey, one of the few nationally representative surveys to measure in detail multiple dimensions of religion and politics.

Religious beliefs affected political participation more than other measures of religious behavior. In addition, different types of religious beliefs influence political participation differently.

Generalized, macro religious beliefs affected national political participation. Macro beliefs include religious beliefs that involve broad, worldly concerns. Narrow, individually experienced micro beliefs that are personal and affect individual concerns had no effect on national politics.

Those who believe that God is directly involved in world affairs, such as evangelical Protestants, are less likely to be involved in world affairs. Believers in such an active God believe that if God determines worldly affairs, then there is little reason for individuals to participate in civic events. In contrast, if one believes that God is more inactive, as is common with Jews and mainline Protestants, then one would need to take action and more likely be politically engaged.

"Our results have wide-ranging implications for both the study of political participation and the field of religion," the authors conclude. "It is focused types of religious beliefs, more than broad religious traditions, which impact political participation."

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This study is published in the June 2008 issue of Social Science Quarterly. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article may contact journalnews@bos.blackwellpublishing.net.

Robyn Driskell, Ph.D., is affiliated with Baylor University and can be reached for questions at Robyn_Driskell@Baylor.edu

Nationally recognized as one of the top journals in the field, Social Science Quarterly publishes current research on a broad range of topics including political science, sociology, economics, history, social work, geography, international studies, and women's studies.

Wiley-Blackwell was formed in February 2007 as a result of the acquisition of Blackwell Publishing Ltd. by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., and its merger with Wiley's Scientific, Technical, and Medical business. Together, the companies have created a global publishing business with deep strength in every major academic and professional field. Wiley-Blackwell publishes approximately 1,400 scholarly peer-reviewed journals and an extensive collection of books with global appeal. For more information on Wiley-Blackwell, please visit www.blackwellpublishing.com or http://interscience.wiley.com.


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