Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T14:06:24.792Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Religious Identity and Descriptive Representation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2016

Walter Schmidt  and
Matthew R. Miles
Walter Schmidt*
Affiliation:
Brigham Young University-Idaho
Matthew R. Miles*
Affiliation:
Brigham Young University-Idaho
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Walter Schmidt, Department of Political Science, Brigham Young University-Idaho, 525 S. Center Street, Rexburg, ID 83462-2160. E-mail: [email protected]; or to: Matthew R. Miles, Department of Political ScienceBrigham Young University-Idaho, 525 S. Center Street, Rexburg, ID 83462-2160. E-mail: [email protected].
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Walter Schmidt, Department of Political Science, Brigham Young University-Idaho, 525 S. Center Street, Rexburg, ID 83462-2160. E-mail: [email protected]; or to: Matthew R. Miles, Department of Political ScienceBrigham Young University-Idaho, 525 S. Center Street, Rexburg, ID 83462-2160. E-mail: [email protected].
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Drawing on the descriptive representation literature, we argue that religious identity is a social identity similar to gender or race, which leads a person to feel represented by someone who shares their religious identity. We argue that religious identity motivates approbation for public officials that is distinct from partisanship. We find that constituents who share the religious identity of their congressional representatives are significantly more likely to approve of their representative's performance in office. In addition, those who share a religious identity with President Obama are more trusting of him; particularly among those for whom religion is important. Finally, we find that shared religious identity moderates the relationship between partisanship and trust in the President. All else equal, Republicans who share a religious identity with President Obama are 500% more likely to trust him than a Republican who does not.

Type
Articles
Information
Politics and Religion , Volume 10 , Issue 1 , March 2017 , pp. 186 - 221
Copyright
Copyright © Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

We would like to thank Paul Djupe, Marcus Schmidt, and three anonymous reviewers for their feedback on this manuscript. A previous version of this article was presented at the Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association (2015) which would not have been possible without the generous support of the Thomas E. Ricks fund for mentored student research.

References

REFERENCES

Altemeyer, Bob, and Hunsberger, Bruce. 1992. “Authoritarianism, Religious Fundamentalism, Quest, and Prejudice. The International Journal for the Psychology Of Religion 2:113–133.Google Scholar
Ansolabehere, Stephen. 2012, “CCES Common Content, 2010.” http://hdl.handle.net/1902.1/17705 (Accessed on June 29, 2016).Google Scholar
Banducci, Susan A., Donovan, Todd, and Karp, Jeffrey A. 2004. “Minority Representation, Empowerment, and Participation.” Journal of Politics 66:534–556.Google Scholar
Bobo, Lawrence, and Gilliam, Franklin D. 1990. “Race, Sociopolitical Participation, and Black Empowerment.” American Political Science Review 84:377–393.Google Scholar
Bratton, Kathleen A. 2002. “The Effect of Legislative Diversity on Agenda Setting Evidence from Six State Legislatures.” American Politics Research 30:115–142.Google Scholar
Bratton, Kathleen A, and Haynie, Kerry L. 1999. “Agenda Setting and Legislative Success in State Legislatures: The Effects of Gender And Race.” The Journal of Politics 61:658–679.Google Scholar
Citrin, Jack, and Green, Donald Philip. 1986. “Presidential Leadership and the Resurgence of Trust in Government. British Journal of Political Science 16:431–453.Google Scholar
Dalton, Russell J. 2004. Democratic Challenges, Democratic Choices: The Erosion of Political Support in Advanced Industrial Democracies. Of Comparative Politics. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Dalton, Russell J. 2005. “The Social Transformation of Trust in Government.” International Review of Sociology 15:133–154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Day, Abby. 2011. “Believing in Belonging: Belief and Social Identity in the Modern World. Oxford: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Delli Carpini, Michael X., and Keeter, Scott. 1996. What Americans Know about Politics and Why it Matters. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Eulau, Heinz, and Karps, Paul D. 1977. “The Puzzle of Representation: Specifying Components Of Responsiveness. Legislative Studies Quarterly 2:233–254.Google Scholar
Fenno, Richard F. 1978. Home Style: House Members in their Districts. Boston, MA: Little, Brown.Google Scholar
Friesen, Amanda, and Ksiazkiewicz, Aleksander. 2014. “Do Political Attitudes and Religiosity Share a Genetic Path?” Political Behavior doi:10.1007/s11109-014-9291-3.Google Scholar
Gay, Claudine. 2002. “The Effect of Black Congressional Representation on Political Participation.” The American Political Science Review 95:589–617.Google Scholar
Gervais, Will M., Shariff, Azim F., and Norenzayan, Ara. 2011. “Do You Believe in Atheists? Distrust is Central to Anti-Atheist Prejudice.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 101:1189.Google Scholar
Graham, Jesse, and Haidt, Jonathan. 2010. “Beyond Beliefs: Religions Bind Individuals into Moral Communities.” Personality and Social Psychology Review 14:140–150.Google Scholar
Griffiths, A Phillips, and Wollheim, Richard. 1960. “Symposium: How Can One Person Represent Another?” Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society 34:187–224.Google Scholar
Haider-Markel, Donald P. 2007. “Representation and Backlash: The Positive and Negative Influence of Descriptive Representation.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 32:107–133.Google Scholar
Haidt, Jonathan. 2012. The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided By Politics And Religion. New York, NY: Random House LLC.Google Scholar
Hawkesworth, Mary. 2003. “Congressional Enactments of Race–Gender: Toward a Theory of Hawkesworth, Mary. Institutions.” American Political Science Review 97:529–550.Google Scholar
Hetherington, Marc J., and Rudolph, Thomas J.. 2015. Why Washington Won't Work: Polarization, Political Trust, And The Governing Crisis. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Hibbing, Jon R., and Theiss-Morse, Elizabeth. 2002. Stealth Democracy: Americans' Beliefs About How Government Should Work. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howell, Susan E, and Fagan, Deborah. 1988. “Race and Trust in Government Testing the Political Reality Model.” Public Opinion Quarterly 52:343–350.Google Scholar
Jacobsmeier, Matthew L. 2013. “Religion and Perceptions of Candidates' Ideologies in United States House Elections.” Politics and Religion 6:342–372.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, Dominic, and Bering, Jesse. 2006. “Hand of God, Mind of Man: Punishment and Cognition in the Evolution of Cooperation.” Evolutionary Psychology doi:147470490600400119.Google Scholar
Keele, Luke. 2007. “Social Capital and the Dynamics of Trust in Government.” American Journal of Political Science 51:241–254.Google Scholar
Kingdon, John W. 1995. Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Longman.Google Scholar
Layman, Geoffrey C. 2001. The Great Divide: Religious and Cultural Conflict in American Party Politics. New York, NY: Columbia University Press.Google Scholar
Ludeke, Steven, Johnson, Wendy, and Bouchard, Thomas J. 2013. “Obedience to Traditional Authority: A Heritable Factor Underlying Authoritarianism, Conservatism and Religiousness.” Personality and Individual Differences 55:375–380.Google Scholar
Mansbridge, Jane. 1999. “Should Blacks Represent Blacks and Women Represent Women? A Contingent “Yes.” The Journal of Politics 61:628–657.Google Scholar
McDermott, Monika L. 2007. “Voting for Catholic Candidates: The Evolution of a Stereotype.” Social Science Quarterly 88:953–969.Google Scholar
McDermott, Monika L. 2009. “Religious Stereotyping and Voter Support For Evangelical Candidates.” Political Research Quarterly 62:340–354.Google Scholar
Miles, Matthew R. 2015. “Some Folks You Just Can't Reach: The Genetic Heritability of Presidential Approval.” Presidential Studies Quarterly 45:760–777.Google Scholar
Miller, Arthur H. 1974. “Political Issues and Trust in Government: 1964–1970.” American Political Science Review 68:951–972.Google Scholar
Muldoon, Orla T., Trew, Karen, Todd, Jennifer, Rougier, Nathalie, and McLaughlin, Katrina. 2007. “Religious and National Identity after the Belfast Good Friday Agreement.” Political Psychology 28:89–103.Google Scholar
Norenzayan, Ara, and Shariff, Azim F.. 2008. “The Origin and Evolution of Religious Prosociality.” Science 322:58–62.Google Scholar
Norris, Pippa. 1999. Critical Citizens: Global Support for Democratic Government. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Pew Research Center. 2008. “Faith on the Hill: 2008.” http://www.pewforum.org/files/2008/12/appendix.pdf (Accessed on March 20, 2015).Google Scholar
Pitkin, Hanna Fenichel. 1967. The Concept of Representation. Oakland, CA: University of California Press.Google Scholar
“Public Trust in Government: 1958–2014.” 2014. http://www.people-press.org/2014/11/13/public-trust-in-government (Accessed on January 13, 2016).Google Scholar
Purzycki, Benjamin Grant, Apicella, Coren, Atkinson, Quentin D., Cohen, Emma, McNamara, Rita Anne, Willard, Aiyana K, Xygalatas, Dimitris, Norenzayan, Ara, and Henrich, Joseph. 2016. “Moralistic Gods, Supernatural Punishment and the Expansion Of Human Sociality.” Nature 530:327–330.Google Scholar
Rosenthal, Doreen A., and Hrynevich, Christine. 1985. “Ethnicity and Ethnic Identity: A Comparative Study of Greek-, Italian-, and Anglo-Australian adolescents.” International journal of psychology 20:723–742.Google Scholar
Saad, Lydia. 2016. Government Named Top U.S. Problem for Second Straight Year. Washington, DC: Gallup.Google Scholar
Sosis, Richard. 2000. “Religion and Intragroup Cooperation: Preliminary Results of a Comparative Analysis of Utopian Communities.” Cross-Cultural Research 34:70–87.Google Scholar
Sosis, Richard, and Alcorta, Candace. 2003. “Signaling, Solidarity, and the Sacred: The Evolution of Religious Behavior.” Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews 12:264–274.Google Scholar
Tocqueville, Alexis de. 1835. Democracy in America. 4 vols. London: Saunders and Otley.Google Scholar
Verkuyten, Maykel. 2004. The Social Psychology of Ethnic Identity. New York, NY: Psychology Press.Google Scholar
Verkuyten, Maykel, and Yildiz, Ali Aslan. 2007. “National (dis) Identification and Ethnic and Religious Identity: A Study Among Turkish-Dutch Muslims.” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin 33:1448–1462.Google Scholar
Wong, Carolyn. 2006. Lobbying for Inclusion: Rights Politics and the Making of Immigration Policy. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar