Date on Honors Thesis

Fall 12-2-2025

Major

Political Science/Pre-law

Minor

Business Administration

Examining Committee Member

Dr. Brittany Wood, Advisor

Examining Committee Member

Dr. Marc Polizzi, Committee Member

Examining Committee Member

Dr. Paul Foote, Committee Member

Abstract/Description

This study examines the relationship between religiosity, defined as the intensity of religious commitment and practice, and political party identification among U.S. Christians, synthesizing four theoretical schools: historical alignment, social orientation, secularization, and political primacy. It addresses the question: To what extent does higher religiosity predict stronger identification with the Republican Party rather than the Democratic Party? Understanding this link is important to researchers and politicians, as religion remains a central factor of political polarization, shaping voting behavior, policy preferences, and partisan realignment (Campbell 2020). The analysis uses the 2024 American National Election Studies (ANES), restricted to self-identified Christians. Binary logistic regression shows that a one-standard-deviation increase in religiosity raises the odds of Republican identification by 40–60%, with effects robust across models and strongest among Evangelicals via historical and social mechanisms. These findings affirm religiosity as a durable predictor of partisanship, challenge political primacy arguments, and inform campaign strategies, cultural policy debates, and assessments of democratic resilience in a secularizing society.

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