Party above religion. How voters view candidates
As important as religion is for voters when they look at candidates, a new analysis by political scientists at the University of Houston suggests party labels are far more powerful predictors of how politicians are perceived.
Voters use religion as a proxy for trustworthiness or likeability, but party affiliation is a leading factor when it comes to where a candidate stands on the issues. And it seems to be the same for how both liberal or conservative voters perceive a candidate to be, according to a University of Houston news release.
The study, published in Research & Politics by Elizabeth Simas, assistant professor of political science, and doctoral student Adam Ozer, suggests the conventional wisdom and scholarship overstate the role religious affiliation plays in voter perceptions.
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“Though Evangelical and Catholic cues do impact impressions of a candidate’s stance on abortion, the partisan cue dominates perceptions of overall ideology. These findings further demonstrate the power of the party brand,” the political scientists wrote.
Previous research had found religious labels affect how people perceive a candidate’s stance on issues, but Simas and Ozer say those studies often considered religious affiliation in a vacuum, rather than coupled with party affiliation. Once party affiliation was added to the equation, it became the dominant factor.
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