Protestants and the Poor: How Religiosity Affects Support for Social Welfare Policy

Abstract

This article first examines the question: Does degree of religiosity affect support for social welfare policy among Protestants and Catholics, and does this effect change over time? I first review various theoretical explanations for Protestant voting behavior and increasing right-wing political mobilization. I also explain the importance of using three main time periods to track this mobilization. Then, I review the data and methods used. Results are reported and discussed with limitations of the data, methods and analyses. In the end, I conclude that those Protestants who attend church more are less likely to support social welfare policy after the year 2000. [From Introduction]