Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-v5vhk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-02T22:36:52.898Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Religion and Democratic Citizenship: A Multilevel Examination

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 March 2019

Catherine Bolzendahl Open the ORCID record for Catherine Bolzendahl [Opens in a new window] ,
Landon Schnabel Open the ORCID record for Landon Schnabel [Opens in a new window]  and
Rottem Sagi
Catherine Bolzendahl*
Affiliation:
University of California, Irvine
Landon Schnabel
Affiliation:
Indiana University, Bloomington
Rottem Sagi
Affiliation:
University of California, Irvine Indiana University, Bloomington
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Catherine Bolzendahl, Department of Sociology, University of California, Irvine, 3151 Social Science Plaza, Irvine, CA 92697. E-mail: c.bolzendahl@uci.edu
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

We conduct a multilevel examination of the relationship between religiosity and democratic citizenship norms and behaviors using International Social Survey Program data. We analyze how democratic engagement varies according to individual and national average religious involvement in 28 predominantly-Christian democracies. We find that (1) individual-level religious attendance is positively linked to both what people say (norms) and what they do (participation); (2) nations with higher aggregate national attendance participate less politically; and (3) the relationship between individual-level religious engagement and citizenship varies by national religious context. More specifically, individual religious attendance matters more where it is more distinctive (i.e., in more secular countries). Individual-level religious participation is generally conducive to citizenship, but its impact is context-dependent.

Type
Article
Information
Politics and Religion , Volume 12 , Issue 4 , December 2019 , pp. 577 - 605
Copyright
Copyright © Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association 2019 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

We thank members of the UCLA Comparative Analysis Seminar, UCI International and Comparative Sociology Workshop, Ann Hironaka and members of her writing group, Stan Bailey, Eulalie Laschaver, and Rune Stubager for helpful comments on previous drafts.

References

REFERENCES

Adamczyk, Amy, and Pitt, Cassady. 2009. “Shaping Attitudes About Homosexuality: The Role of Religion and Cultural Context.” Social Science Research 38(2):338–351.Google Scholar
Almond, Gabriel A., and Verba, Sidney. 1989. The Civic Culture: Political Attitudes and Democracy in Five Nations. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Arikan, Gizem, and Ben-Nun Bloom, Pazit. 2019. “Religion and Political Protest: A Cross-Country Analysis.” Comparative Political Studies 52(2):246–276.Google Scholar
Ben-Nun Bloom, Pazit, and Arikan, Gizem. 2012. “A Two-Edged Sword: The Differential Effect of Religious Belief and Religious Social Context on Attitudes Towards Democracy.” Political Behavior 34(2):249–276.Google Scholar
Bolzendahl, Catherine, and Coffé, Hilde. 2009. “Citizenship Beyond Politics: The Importance of Political, Civil and Social Rights and Responsibilities Among Women and Men.” British Journal of Sociology 60(4):763–791.Google Scholar
Bolzendahl, Catherine, and Coffé, Hilde. 2013. “Are ‘Good’ Citizens ‘Good’ Participants? Testing Citizenship Norms and Political Participation Across 25 Nations.” Political Studies 61:45–65.Google Scholar
Borgonovi, Francesca. 2008. “Divided we Stand, United we Fall: Religious Pluralism, Giving, and Volunteering.” American Sociological Review 73(1):105–128.Google Scholar
Brady, Henry E., Verba, Sidney, and Schlozman, Kay Lehman. 1995. “Beyond Ses: A Resource Model of Political Participation.” The American Political Science Review 89(2):271–294.Google Scholar
Buckley, David. 2016. “Demanding the Divine? Explaining Cross-National Support for Clerical Control of Politics.” Comparative Political Studies 49(3):357–390.Google Scholar
Burns, Nancy. 2007. “Gender in the Aggregate, Gender in the Individual, Gender and Political Action.” Politics & Gender 3(01):104–124.Google Scholar
Burns, Nancy, Schlozman, Kay Lehman, and Verba, Sidney. 2001. The Private Roots of Public Action: Gender, Equality, and Political Participation. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Burns, G., and Kniss, F.. 2013. “Religion and Social Movements”. In The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social and Political Movements, ed. Snow, D. A., Della Porta, D., Klandermans, B. and McAdam, D.. doi:10.1002/9780470674871.wbespm484.Google Scholar
Casanova, Jose. 1994. Public Religions in the Modern World. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Coffé, Hilde, and Bolzendahl, Catherine. 2010. “Same Game, Different Rules? Gender Differences in Political Participation.” Sex Roles 62(5–6):318–333.Google Scholar
Conover, Pamela Johnston, Searing, Donald D., and Crewe, Ivor. 2004. “The Elusive Ideal of Equal Citizenship: Political Theory and Political Psychology in the United States and Great Britain.” The Journal of Politics 66(4):1036–1068.Google Scholar
Dalton, Russell J. 2008. “Citizenship Norms and the Expansion of Political Participation.” Political Studies 56(1):76–98.Google Scholar
Dalton, Russell J. 2009. The Good Citizen: How a Younger Generation is Reshaping American Politics, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: CQ Press.Google Scholar
Dalton, Russell J., and Welzel, Christian. 2014. The Civic Culture Transformed: From Allegiant to Assertive Citizens. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Denters, Bas, Gabriel, Oscar, and Torcal, Mariano. 2007. “Chapter 4: Norms of Good Citizenship.” In Citizenship and Involvement in European Democracies: A Comparative Analysis, ed. Deth, J. W. v., Montero, J. R. and Westholm, A.. New York, NY: Routledge Press, 88–108.Google Scholar
Driskell, Robyn, Embry, Elizabeth, and Lyon, Larry. 2008. “Faith and Politics: The Influence of Religious Beliefs on Political Participation.” Social Science Quarterly 89(2):294–314.Google Scholar
Finke, Roger, and Adamczyk, Amy. 2008. “Cross-national Moral Beliefs: The Influence of National Religious Context.” The Sociological Quarterly 49(4):617–652.Google Scholar
Foner, Nancy, and Alba, Richard. 2008. “Immigrant Religion in the U.S. and Western Europe: Bridge or Barrier to Inclusion?” International Migration Review 42(2):360–392.Google Scholar
Fox, Jonathan. 2001. “Religion as an Overlooked Element of International Relations.” International Studies Review 3(3):53–73.Google Scholar
Fox, Jonathan. 2006. “World Separation of Religion and State into the 21st Century.” Comparative Political Studies 39(5):537–569.Google Scholar
Fox, Jonathan. 2012. “Religion and State dataset, Round III.” http://www.religionandstate.org.Google Scholar
Fox, Jonathan, and Flores, Deborah. 2009. “Religions, Constitutions, and the State: A Cross-National Study.” The Journal of Politics 71(4):1499–1513.Google Scholar
Grzymala-Busse, Anna. 2012. “Why Comparative Politics Should Take Religion (More) Seriously.” Annual Review of Political Science 15(1):421–442.Google Scholar
Hooghe, Marc, and Oser, Jennifer. 2015. “The Rise of Engaged Citizenship: The Evolution of Citizenship Norms among Adolescents in 21 Countries Between 1999 and 2009.” International Journal of Comparative Sociology 56(1):29–52.Google Scholar
Inglehart, Ronald. 1997. Modernization and Postmodernization: Cultural, Economic, and Political Change in 43 Societies. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
ISSP Research Group. 2016. International Social Survey Programme: Citizenship II-ISSP 2014. Cologne, Germany: GESIS Data Archive.Google Scholar
Jamal, Amaney A, and Tessler, Mark A. 2008. “Attitudes in the Arab World.” Journal of Democracy 19(1):97–110.Google Scholar
Janoski, Thomas. 1998. Citizenship and Civil Society: A Framework of Rights and Obligations in Liberal, Traditional, and Social Democratic Regimes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Jelen, Ted G, and Wilcox, Clyde. 2002. Religion and Politics in Comparative Perspective: The one, the few, and the Many. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Joye, Dominique, and Sapin, Marléne. 2017. “International Social Survey Programme; ISSP 2014—Citizenship II Study Monitoring Report.” Lausanne, Switzerland: Swiss Center of Expertise in the Social Sciences—FORS.Google Scholar
Kam, Cindy D., and Palmer, C.L.. 2008. “Reconsidering the Effects of Education on Political Participation.” Journal of Politics 70(3):612–631.Google Scholar
Kelly, Jonathan, and DeGraaf, Nan Dirk. 1997. “National Context, Parental Socialization, and Religious Belief: Results From 15 Countries.” American Sociological Review 62(4):639–659.Google Scholar
Lim, Chaeyoon, and MacGregor, Carol Ann. 2012. “Religion and Volunteering in Context: Disentangling the Contextual Effects of Religion on Voluntary Behavior.” American Sociological Review 77(5):747–779.Google Scholar
Lister, Ruth. 2003. Citizenship: Feminist Perspectives. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.Google Scholar
Marien, Sofie, Hooghe, Marc, and Quintelier, Ellen. 2010. “Inequalities in Non-Institutionalised Forms of Political Participation: A Multi-Level Analysis of 25 Countries.” Political Studies 58:187–213.Google Scholar
Marshall, T. H. 1950. Citizenship and Social Class, and Other Essays. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
McAndrew, Siobhan, and Voas, David. 2013. “Immigrant Generation, Religiosity and Civic Engagement in Britain.” Ethnic and Racial Studies 37(1):99–119.Google Scholar
Meade, Lawrence M. 1986. Beyond Entitlement: The Social Obligations of Citizenship. New York, NY: Free Press.Google Scholar
Morris, Aldon. 1984. The Origins of the Civil Rights Movement. New York, NY: Free Press.Google Scholar
Norris, Pippa. 2002. Democratic Phoenix: Reinventing Political Activism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Norris, Pippa, and Inglehart, Ronald. 2011. Sacred and Secular: Religion and Politics Worldwide. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Potrafke, Niklas. 2012. “Islam and Democracy.” Public Choice 151(1):185–192.Google Scholar
Putnam, Robert D. 2001. Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.Google Scholar
Putnam, Robert D. 2004. Better Together: Restoring the American Community. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.Google Scholar
Putnam, Robert D., and Campbell, David E.. 2010. American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.Google Scholar
Regnerus, Mark D. 2003. “Moral Communities and Adolescent Delinquency: Religious Contexts and Community Social Control.” Sociological Quarterly 44(4):523–554.Google Scholar
Rink, Anselm. 2018. “Do Protestant Missionaries Undermine Political Authority? Evidence From Peru.” Comparative Political Studies 51(4):477–513.Google Scholar
Rowley, Charles K., and Smith, Nathanael. 2009. “Islam's Democracy Paradox: Muslims Claim to Like Democracy, So Why do They Have so Little?” Public Choice 139(3):273–299.Google Scholar
Ruiter, Stijn, and De Graaf, Nan Dirk. 2006. “National Context, Religiosity, and Volunteering: Results from 53 Countries.” American Sociological Review 71(2):191–210.Google Scholar
Ruiter, Stijn, and De Graaf, Nan Dirk. 2010. “National Religious Context and Volunteering: More Rigorous Tests Supporting the Association.” American Sociological Review 75(1):179–184.Google Scholar
Ruiter, Stijn, and van Tubergen, Frank. 2009. “Religious Attendance in Cross-National Perspective: A Multilevel Analysis of 60 Countries.” American Journal of Sociology 115(3):863–895.Google Scholar
Schnabel, Landon, and Bock, Sean. 2017. “The Persistent and Exceptional Intensity of American Religion: A Response to Recent Research.” Sociological Science 4:686–700.Google Scholar
Sherkat, Darren E., and Ellison, Christopher G.. 1999. “Recent Developments and Current Controversies in the Sociology of Religion.” Annual Review of Sociology 25:363–394.Google Scholar
Smidt, Corwin E. 2013. “Do the Promises of Religion to Democracy Still Hold?” The Review of Faith & International Affairs 11(3):20–39.Google Scholar
Smith, Christian. 1996. Disruptive Religion: The Force of Faith in Social-Movement Activism. New York, NY: Psychology Press.Google Scholar
Smith, Christian. 2003. “Theorizing Religious Effects among American Adolescents.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 42(1):17–30.Google Scholar
Stark, Rodney. 1996. “Religion as Context: Hellfire and Delinquency one More Time.” Sociology of Religion 57(2):163–173.Google Scholar
Stolle, Dietlind, Hooghe, Marc, and Micheletti, Michele. 2005. “Politics in the Supermarket: Political Consumerism as a Form of Political Participation.” International Political Science Review 26(3):245–269.Google Scholar
Van der Meer, Tom, Te Grotenhuis, Manfred, and Pelzer, Ben. 2010. “Influential Cases in Multilevel Modeling.” American Sociological Review 75(1):173–178.Google Scholar
Verba, Sidney. 1996. “The Citizen as Respondent: Sample Surveys and American Democracy Presidential Address, American Political Science Association, 1995.” The American Political Science Review 90(1):1–7.Google Scholar
Verba, Sidney, Nie, Norman, and Kim, Jae-on. 1978. Participation and Political Equality: A Seven-Nation Comparison. Chicago, IL: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Verba, Sidney, Schlozman, Kay Lehman, and Brady, Henry E.. 1995. Voice and Equality: Civic Voluntarism in American Politics. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Vlas, Natalia, and Gherghina, Sergiu. 2012. “Where Does Religion Meet Democracy? A Comparative Analysis of Attitudes in Europe.” International Political Science Review 33(3):336–351.Google Scholar
Voicu, Mălina. 2012. “Effect of Nationalism on Religiosity in 30 European Countries.” European Sociological Review 28(3):333–343.Google Scholar
Wald, Kenneth D., Silverman, Adam L., and Fridy, Kevin S.. 2005. “Making Sense of Religion in Political Life.” Annual Review of Political Science 8(1):121–143.Google Scholar
Welzel, Christian. 2013. Freedom Rising. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Welzel, Christian, and Deutsch, Franziska. 2012. “Emancipative Values and non-Violent Protest: The Importance of ‘Ecological’ effects.” British Journal of Political Science 42(2):465–479.Google Scholar