Religion, Politics, and the Social Capital of Children

Abstract

SUMMARY.Using a national dataset, this study demonstrates that religious traditionalism and political conservatism are positively related to family size and the interactions between these measures result in increased political participation. Combining the social capital of children and religiosity, these findings suggest that choosing to have more children may be based on beliefs about traditional gender roles and the importance of family in society, which in turn, results in political engagement around these issues.

Conscientious Women: The Dispositional Conditions of Institutional Treatment on Civic Involvement

“…In attempting to explain how SES, family, and other factors exert influence on participation, research has shown that individuals build social capital that generates a sense of connectedness to one's community and the acquisition of civic skills or resources that can lead to political engagement (Friesen 2013;Putnam 2000;Sapiro 2006). Subsequent research has focused, in part, on the institutional dynamics that enable civic skill acquisition.…”