To Love Thy Neighbor: Exploring the Role of Religious and Social Belonging on American Polarization

Through a novel survey data set and an expanded understanding of religious belonging, this book explores how and in what ways patterns of belonging influence levels of affective polarization among white evangelicals and the religiously unaffiliated, two of the most polarized groups in American politics. While much consideration has been given to the ever-rising levels of polarization in the United States, relatively little attention has been paid to role of belonging in exacerbating or mitigating this phenomenon. Using a novel survey data set, To Love Thy Neighbor: Exploring the Role of Religious and Social Belonging on American Polarization explores how patterns of religious and social belonging, particularly among white evangelicals and the religiously unaffiliated, might be weakening or compounding the issue of our polarized politics. By expanding our notion of religious belonging beyond simple church attendance measures, A. Scott Bledsoe argues that first, the term “evangelical” doesn’t really mean what we think it does, as there is a notable amount of variation in what this group believes and how they belong. Second, while deep religious belonging, or bonding social capital, might explain high rates of affective polarization among white evangelicals, it doesn’t explain why the religiously unaffiliated experience similar rates of polarization. Finally, Bledsoe finds low levels of social and civic belonging among all Americans, a discovery that has important ramifications for polarization and democracy writ large.