The United States

Abstract

This chapter embarks on an empirical analysis of voting patterns in American national elections from 1990 to 2012. The chapter aims to clarify the mechanisms that translate religious consciousness into politically relevant cues for the American electorate. It does so by combining the so-called ethno-religious and restructuring perspectives. The chapter confirms that, for an appropriate understanding of religious effects and religious involvement in the vote choice and partisanship in the United States, attention needs to be paid both to matters of belonging (religious family/tradition linked to denomination) and behaving (variations in religious commitment). The main conclusion therefore is that denominational belonging still shapes political preferences, with mainline and Evangelical Protestants having higher propensities to cast Republican votes and express Republican identifications, while Jews and Black Protestants display strong Democratic preferences. Also, voters who highly value religion in their lives will most likely express a Republican preference and cast a Republican vote. At the same time, the level of religious involvement matters more than in the past, especially for Catholics.