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Aug 25, 2007

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Bob Robinson

I'm wondering what this means. Is it a case of "the more faithful one is, the more he/she votes for a Republican?"

Or is it a case of simple groupthink - that there is an increasingly disturbing trend in which people vote according to group affiliation and not according to independent analysis.

Michael W. Kruse

Frequent attendance at worship (at least weekly) appears to be the key point. This trend is true Christian, Jewish, and Muslim groups in America. I think it has less to do with explicit religious ideology than having a connection to the civic order. If you attend worship weekly you likely are connected in other civic ways. You have a higher estimation of the institutions of society and greater faith in their efficacy. Furthermore, there is a correlation between church attendance and living in something resembling a traditional family.

Those that attend worship less than weekly are less connected civically and have lower estimations about the efficacy societal institutions, prompting them to advocate more government intervention to “fix” problems. In recent years I think Republicans have been perceived as more friendly to the culture of local community, faith institutions, personal autonomy and civic virtue than Democrats. Democrats have been seen as a collection agitating interest groups who are at least suspicious, if not antagonistic, to traditional civic institutions. So I do think it is religious ideology but rather civic connectedness that may be driving some of the divide.

Just one thought.

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