Religion and Voting: A Critical Review and a New Analysis (original) (raw)
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In this study there are presented a series of aspects concerning the religious behavior of the Romanian population. By using quantitative analysis we have identified a series of religious key factors which can be used by parties and politicians to obtain votes during election campaigns. The obtained results highlight the fact that people with a lower level of education are more receptive to the political messages transmitted by religious means. Also, the influence of political actions and messages having a religious character is more powerful at the level of the population with a lower standard of living. By means of quantitative analysis we have also evaluated the impact of religious and ethnical fractionalization on the political representation in the national parliament.
2019
Religion and politics are two very important aspects of human society anywhere in the world. While religion addresses and conditions man's spiritual balance, politics shapes the practice of religion and determine who gets what, when, and how (Lasswell, 1958) in any given political setting. The belief in the supernatural can make people resist any perceived attempt to distort one's religious belief. An attempt to sustain one's religion, on the other hand, can determine the way one acts in the electoral process. In other words, the notion that a favorable polity guarantees the liberty to exercise freely one's religious rituals can influence the attitude and the way people act in deciding who should govern them. Religion and politics have come to be inseparable in man's quest for political power. In some societies, religion has been exploited to promote ascendancy to state power. This study assesses the relationship between religion and voter behavior in Cross River State, Nigeria, and whether religious consideration influenced the voting direction of electorates in 2011, 2015 and 2019 general elections. The rise of Islamic fundamentalism and segregate Pentecostalism in Nigeria's religious behavior justifies this study. The research hypothesizes that religious inclination tends not to have a significant effect on the voting pattern in Cross River State. Data was collected through a questionnaire from Christian churches and mosques in five locations in the state. A respondents sample size of 1,000 was got from the five locations covering the three senatorial districts. Data generated were analyzed with frequency count, percentages, and bar charts. The results show that respondents voted along religious lines in 2011, 2015 and 2019 general elections. Factors such as adherence to religious principles, pressure from religious superiors, denominational considerations accentuated this behavior. The study recommends, among others, that voter education should be intensified by civil society organizations on the danger of voting along with religious considerations.
Religious Differences in Electoral Turnout among Women in Northern Ireland
Parliamentary Affairs, 2016
It is now commonly accepted that democratic elections with increased female participation and representation is an essential element of peacebuilding in postconflict societies. Yet, women are not a monolithic group and their needs are not homogeneous. This is especially the case in post-conflict societies marked by longstanding ethno-national antagonisms, where issues surrounding female unity and women's political participation are often considered secondary to resolving the national identity question. Using data from the 2015 Northern Ireland Election Survey, this paper examines female differences in electoral turnout between the two main religious groupings-Protestant and Catholicin Northern Ireland. The results suggest the existence of a significant religious gap in electoral turnout among women, with Catholic women been significantly more likely to vote than Protestant women. A key factor in accounting for this phenomenon is differences in political engagement and levels of trust in political leaders.
Religion and 19th Century Voting Behavior: A New Look At Some Old Data
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Recent studies of nineteenth-century voting behavior have focused on how economic variables influenced elections during this period. Employing underutilized individual-level data from the 1870s, this paper argues that such studies overstate the influence of economic variables upon electoral behavior. Specifically, Democratic voters principally cast ballots on the basis of economic issues and divisions, while Republicans were primarily concerned with religious and cultural issues. These results suggest that the Democratic and Republican parties attracted voters on the basis of different policy dimensions, indicating that both ethnocultural and economic considerations affected both political parties, albeit in divergent ways.
Religion and politics: examining the impact of faith on political participation
Religion, state & society, 2017
This study examines the relationship between religion and political activity. It theorises religious influences on political activity and tests the impact of various religious factors on political participation in a large cross-national sample (1981-2014). This study integrates longitudinal data from the aggregated World Values Survey with country-level data in the hierarchical multilevel analysis that allows teasing out the individual-level religious influences, including membership in religious organisations, religiosity and selfidentification with various religious denominations, and the country-level impacts. The temporal and spatial coverage of the data used in the study includes more than 65% of the world's population. The seven types of political participation examined in the study include signing petitions, joining in boycotts, participating in demonstrations, taking part in unofficial strikes, occupying buildings and factories, voting and membership in political parties. We find that religion matters but not always in the expected ways. Religiosity, by itself, often serves as a deterrent rather than mobilising force for political engagement, regardless the denominational differences. It is the membership in religious organisations and other voluntary associations of a secular nature that make individuals more likely to engage in political activity.