“La Iglesia” in Politics? Religion and Latino Public Opinion*

Abstract

Objective This article explores how religion shapes Latino opinion regarding religion and public life. Methods This article uses a 2006 national survey of Latinos (N = 4,016) conducted by the Pew Research Center. The data are investigated through logistic regression and ordered logit. Results Religion does have a substantial influence on how Latinos view the role of the church in politics. Specifically, Latinos with higher levels of religious behavior and more orthodox beliefs were significantly more supportive of religion being involved in politics. Religious affiliation also mattered. Conclusion Religion is a powerful influence on how Latinos feel about the role of religion in politics. This influence mirrors findings from studies of the general population (Jelen and Wilcox, 1995; Guth et al., 2006; Smidt, 2007), giving support to the notion that there is little difference between Latinos and the general population when it comes to the influence of religion.

How Complex Religion Can Improve Our Understanding of American Politics

“…This could be because religious Latinos report being more likely to experience political organizing within the church (Mora 2013, Yukich 2013), much in the way historically black churches have facilitated civil rights activism (Pattillo-McCoy 1998). Mirroring whites, Latinos who report high levels of religious commitment (particularly Protestant) are more likely to be supportive of religious influence in politics (Martini 2012).…”

¿Quién aprueba el matrimonio igualitario en México?

“…Otra variable explicativa para entender los cambios en la opinión pública respecto al matrimonio igualitario es la religión (Golebiowska y Tedin, 1988;Herek, 1988;Wilcox y Jelen, 1990). Las personas con creencias más ortodoxas, mayor religiosidad y afiliadas a ciertos grupos religiosos tienen mayor interés en que la religión esté involucrada en la política (Martini, 2012). Esto implica que la religión es un factor importante para considerar en la formación de las opiniones de los ciudadanos y del debate público.…”

Immigrant Citizens and Racial Resentment in International Policy Perspective: The Role of Nativity and Racial Resentment in Shaping Support for US Foreign Assistance Expenditure, 2002–2016

“…Many previous studies have focused attention on the policy priorities of Hispanic Americans-currently, the largest ethnic group emigrating to the United States (de la DeSipio 1998, 2001;Abrajano and Alvarez 2011;Sanchez 2006;Gasbarra and Johnson 2008;Kim and Min 2010;Dowling et al 2012). In terms of domestic policy priorities, Hispanic immigrants hold similar policy priorities to those of native born citizens (Sanchez 2006;Citrin et al 2007;Roccas et al 2010;Sapienza et al 2010;Martini 2012;Stringer 2016;Williams et al 2014;Wilson and Nowrasteh 2016), to include support for restrictions on immigration. Immigrant citizens, however, tend not to support increased military budgets or environmental/ renewable energy funding when compared to native born citizens (Simon and Moltz 2018;.…”