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Politics from the Pulpit: A Critical Test of Elite Cues in American Politics

Adkins, Jason Michael
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4800-5084
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1531927892623716

Abstract Details

2018, PHD, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Political Science.
The relationship between religious belief and affiliation, and political behavior has been well studied. Scholars have utilized surveys to establish correlations regarding how religious affiliation affects political attitudes and behavior. Other scholars have examined correlations between what is happening within congregations and how that affects the political attitudes and behavior of congregants. Scholars have also attempted to establish more precise causal mechanisms regarding how religious leaders attempt to influence their congregants through interviews, observations, and survey experiments. However, research focusing on political cues made by leaders of various religious organizations is rare. To address lingering questions regarding potential political cues made by religious leaders, this dissertation examines, first, whether religious leaders engage in delivering political messages, and whether they are explicit or coded cues. Second, it tests how organizational differences among various religious organizations affects whether rank-and-file members support or oppose policy stances made by their respective religious organizations. Finally, it seeks to determine whether political cues are effective in changing political attitudes. To test the frequency and content of those political cues, I examined sermons, articles, resolutions, and statements made by religious elites from the Roman Catholic Church, Southern Baptist Convention, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Based on the content analysis of those statements, I find religious elites engage in a pattern of delivering coded political cues, which I define as “reverse God talk,” that are not perceptible to those who are not members of that religious group. Using General Social Survey data, I find differences in organizational structure among religious organizations and the political polarization of one’s community and state matter in whether members of these organizations support or oppose various political stances of their respective religious organization. Finally, I fielded an original survey experiment that indicates political cues delivered by religious elites are only partially effective, and may, in fact, spark backlash among members of other religious organizations and those who do not affiliate with any religious group.
Ryan L. Claassen, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Michael J. Ensley, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Anthony D. Molina, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
J. Quin Monson, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Manfred H. M. van Dulmen, Ph.D. (Other)
175 p.
Political Science
american politics; political behavior; religious elites; religion; survey experiment; catholic; southern baptist; lds; mormon

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Adkins, J. M. (2018). Politics from the Pulpit: A Critical Test of Elite Cues in American Politics [Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1531927892623716

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Adkins, Jason. Politics from the Pulpit: A Critical Test of Elite Cues in American Politics. 2018. Kent State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1531927892623716.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Adkins, Jason. "Politics from the Pulpit: A Critical Test of Elite Cues in American Politics." Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1531927892623716

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1531927892623716
561
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This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.