Christian Nationalism and Views of Immigrants in the United States: Is the Relationship Stronger for the Religiously Inactive?

Previous research has shown that Christian nationalism is linked to nativism and immigrant animus, while religious service attendance is associated with pro-immigrant views. The findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between religious ideologies and practices when considering how religi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Socius : sociological research for a dynamic world 2021-01, Vol.7
Main Authors: Stroope, Samuel, Rackin, Heather M., Froese, Paul
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Christianity
Immigrants
Nationalism
Nativism
Offenders
Religion
Religious communities
Tolerance
Undocumented immigrants
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Summary:Previous research has shown that Christian nationalism is linked to nativism and immigrant animus, while religious service attendance is associated with pro-immigrant views. The findings highlight the importance of distinguishing between religious ideologies and practices when considering how religion affects politics. Using a national sample of U.S. adults, we analyze immigrant views by measuring levels of agreement or disagreement that undocumented immigrants from Mexico are “mostly dangerous criminals.” We find that Christian nationalism is inversely related to pro-immigrant views for both the religiously active and inactive. However, strongly pro-immigrant views are less likely and anti-immigrant views are more likely among strong Christian nationalists who are religiously inactive compared with strong Christian nationalists who are religiously active. These results illustrate how religious nationalism can weaken tolerance and heighten intolerance most noticeably when untethered from religious communities.
ISSN:2378-0231
2378-0231
DOI:10.1177/2378023120985116