36th Annual Student Research Conference
Evangelicals and Trust in Government
Julianna R. Rice
Dr. Margaret Edwards, Faculty Mentor
The rise of religious conservatism in America since the 1970s has led to Evangelical Christians emerging as strong supporters of the Republican Party and conservative values. This paper argues that Evangelical conservatives are politically distinct from non-Evangelical conservatives in regards to their trust in elections and government. Using data from the 2020 American National Election Survey (ANES) and a multivariate logistic regression analysis of 8,280 respondents, this paper finds that individuals from the Evangelical faith display lower levels of trust in the results of the 2020 election, even after controlling for other variables. Moreover, this study reveals a difference in trust levels between Evangelical Republicans and non-Evangelical (but still mostly Christian) Republicans. I argue that the influence of Evangelical culture and orthodoxy in the United States may explain this phenomenon, as it fosters distrust of political opponents and promotes steadfast loyalty to political allies.
Keywords: Religion, Evangelism, Conservativism, 2020 Election, Governmental Trust
Topic(s):Political Science
Philosophy & Religion
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Session: 309-6
Location: MG 1098
Time: 2:30