We use Wisconsin Longitudinal Study data (n = 2,678) to assess the effects of religious denomination and ideology on end-of-life treatment preferences in two hypothetical terminal illness scenarios: physical pain and severe cognitive impairment. We found no statistically significant differences when comparing traditionally defined religious…

We provide a test of the thesis that Protestantism influenced the development of modern capitalism by using quantitative data from 1500 through 1870. Results show that during this period the percentage of a country's population that is Protestant is unrelated to both its level of per capita GDP and the average rate of its annual growth in per…

It is often assumed that the religious culture of a state can shape policies within the state, particularly concerning morality issues such as abortion or homosexuality. However, the precise manner in which religion shapes these policies has not been clearly specified. Drawing from social movements and policy literature, we argue that the…

Although the past decade has witnessed increased usage of ecological data to map the community-level effects of religion, the vast majority of studies in this body of scholarship continue to be plagued by two key shortcomings. First, ecological research on religion is often conducted in an atheoretical manner, one that privileges the structural…

Data from the 2002 Religion and Public Activism Survey were used to examine relationships among measures of religious orientation, embeddedness in social networks and the level of trust individuals direct toward others. Results from ordered logistic regression analysis demonstrate that Catholics and members of other denominations show…

Utilizing data from two national surveys, examines attitudes of White Protestants toward women's participation in politics. Compares the relationship between affiliation and religiosity and sex prejudice to that between religiosity and ethnic prejudice. Finds that unaffiliated Whites exhibit less sex and ethnic prejudice than do Whites affiliated…

Data from the 1987-88 National Survey of Families and Households indicate that parents with conservative scriptural beliefs used corporal punishment to discipline their children more frequently than did parents with less conservative theological views. This link persisted when numerous parent, child, and household characteristics were controlled.…

Prior research has shown that individuals living in the South express significantly less tolerant attitudes than the rest of the nation, while individuals residing in urban areas express significantly more tolerant attitudes than their rural peers. The authors seek to explain these generally unspecified Southern and urban effects by identifying…

Analysis of data from the 1987-88 National Survey of Families and Households indicates that conservative Protestant parents of preschoolers and school-age children were significantly less likely than other parents to report yelling at their children. Moreover, estimated effects of denominational affiliation on parental use of yelling were partly…

Analysis of data from the 1996 Religious Identity and Influence Survey found that certain conservative Protestant groups, especially Pentecostals and charismatics, perceived public schools as hostile to moral and spiritual values. This alienation was associated with the lower and middle classes, large families, rural residence, residential…