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Are Religious People More Compassionate and Does This Matter Politically?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 February 2013

David D. Blouin ,
Robert V. Robinson  and
Brian Starks
David D. Blouin*
Affiliation:
Indiana University, South Bend
Robert V. Robinson*
Affiliation:
Indiana University, Bloomington
Brian Starks*
Affiliation:
University of Notre Dame
*
Address correspondence and requests for reprints to: David D. Blouin, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Indiana University South Bend, 1700 Mishawaka Avenue, P.O. Box 7111, South Bend, IN 46634 E-mail: [email protected]
Robert V. Robinson, Department of Sociology, 744 Ballantine Hall, 1020 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47405. E-mail: [email protected]
Brian Starks, University of Notre Dame. Catholic Social and Pastoral Research Initiative, 303 Geddes Hall, Notre Dame, Indiana 46556. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Analyzing a unique module of the General Social Survey, we test hypotheses that three religion dimensions — affiliation with specific religious traditions (belonging), service attendance (behaving), and religious orthodoxy (believing) are associated with compassionate feelings, and that these feelings carry over into support for government efforts to help the poor, blacks, and the sick. The religiously orthodox report more compassionate feelings toward others than do modernists and, partly because of this, are more supportive of government intervention to help the poor. Yet attending religious services frequently does not increase compassionate feelings and makes people less supportive of government efforts to help the poor. There are no differences among religious traditions in compassionate feelings, and the only difference on economic policy preferences is for Black Protestants to support government assistance to blacks. Compassionate feelings have comparable effects to political ideology and party identification on support for government assistance to the disadvantaged and misfortunate. We conclude that people of faith, variously defined, do not constitute a monolithic “Religious Right” and are potentially open to policy appeals from both political parties.

Type
Articles
Information
Politics and Religion , Volume 6 , Issue 3 , September 2013 , pp. 618 - 645
Copyright
Copyright © Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2013 

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