Religious Freedom: Meanings and Applications in Public Opinion

• In Event: Religion and Political Behavior

Abstract

This paper examines the meaning and applications of "religious freedom" in American public opinion. Religious freedom--also known as religious liberty--has received growing attention in political behavior research as it has expanded in prominence as a culture war issue. Research on the topic makes certain understandable assumptions about the meaning of religious freedom based on legal and elite political debates on the topic. However, it is unclear whether the average American shares the same understanding of the issue as scholarly researchers. This paper shows that understandings of religious freedom in the public mind are multi-dimensional, comprising one dimension dealing with traditional Christian sensibilities and another relating to subservience of religious minorities. It examines the differential predictors of these two dimensions, and how each dimension shapes attitudes about denial of services to sexual and religious minorities.

Author

• Patrick R. Miller, Kent State University