The Religious Factor in U.S. Presidential Elections, 1960–1992

Abstract

This study analyzes the relationship between religion and political behavior in recent presidential elections in the United States. The magnitude of the religious cleavage remains substantial but has declined during the past nine presidential elections. The single factor behind this decline is the reduction in support for Republican candidates among denominationally liberal Protestants, whose changing voting behavior is a function of their increasingly liberal views of social issues. The political alignments of Catholics and conservative Protestants have been very stable relative to the electorate-wide mean over this time period, and the authors find no evidence of increased political mobilization among conservative Protestants. The social bases of political behavior-divisions arising out of racial, ethnic, class, religious, and/or gender differences-have been at the forefront of recent scholarly controversies over the causes and consequences of political change in postindustrial capitalist democracies (Inglehart 1990;

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