The Impact of Religious Identification on Political Attitudes: An International Comparison

Using recent cross-national data, this study examines the differential impact of religious identification on political attitudes in eight western nations: the United States, Great Britain, Norway, the Netherlands, West Germany, East Germany, Northern Ireland, and Italy. The results show a marked var...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sociology of religion
Main Author: Hayes, Bernadette C. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Oxford Univ. Press 1995
In: Sociology of religion
Online Access: Volltext (JSTOR)
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Parallel Edition:Non-electronic
Description
Summary:Using recent cross-national data, this study examines the differential impact of religious identification on political attitudes in eight western nations: the United States, Great Britain, Norway, the Netherlands, West Germany, East Germany, Northern Ireland, and Italy. The results show a marked variation in patterns of religious identification across these countries and significant effects of religious identification on political attitudes. That is to say, whereas Apostates are significantly less opposed to abortion or working women than either their Catholic or Protestant religious affiliates, they are also more likely to express less confidence in institutions and oppose the role of religion in politics. In contrast, no significant differences emerged between Apostates and Stable Independents, or the non-affiliated religious groups, in relation to these issues. Thus, for these eight western nations at least, it is a religious non-affiliation, or the current lack of a religious identity, that constitutes the key differentiating factor in distinguishing political attitudes.
ISSN:1759-8818
Contains:Enthalten in: Sociology of religion
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.2307/3711762