Wolfe Lecture on Religion and American Politics

With Boston College Political Science Professors Kay Schlozman and David Hopkins

Since the rise of political parties in the early days of the republic, religious commitments have been reflected in party competition. The growing strength of partisanship in American politics has coincided with a set of important changes in American religious life, from the rise in evangelical identity among Protestants to the increasing proportion of Americans who lack a formal denominational affiliation. Professors Schlozman and Hopkins examine how the relationship among partisan preference, religious denomination, and religious faith (or its absence) is changing in America today. They discuss that, in contrast to the usual pattern where religious denomination leads to party choice, there is evidence that a growing number of citizens are shifting their religious identities to match their political views.

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