Religion/Secularism as Political Choice: Overturning Conventional Wisdom?

This study finds that American religious and secular orientations are not purely exogenous influences on politics, but rather emerge from political processes.

New Conceptualization of Secularism

• Defines secular orientation beyond absence of religion to include an affirmative identity and commitment to principles.

Definitive Causal Test

• Employs panel data showing how political orientations shape religious/secular views over time.
• Uses experimental methods to demonstrate this causal relationship conclusively.

Mechanism Identification

• Identifies specific conditions under which politics affects religious/ secular perspectives.
• Clarifies the underlying processes driving these dynamics.