Created Equal on campus in 2017 | Photo by Lucas Gonzalez | The Wright State Guardian
By: Bridey Jackson
Professor of Political Science Dr. Lee Hannah and his Campaigns and Elections class administered a survey to 384 students at Wright State University. The survey offers a glimpse into students’ political leanings and intentions ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Student Bridey Jackson explores how religion influences Wright State Student’s voting priorities.
Area of study
In an era of more divisive political debate, it is crucial to comprehend the elements that influence college students' political opinions. Despite their importance in shaping the political environment of the future, their perspectives are often ignored.
Two main questions will be examined in this piece: How do religious beliefs shape the political perspectives of college students? What political issues do college students prioritize, and how are these priorities connected to their religious beliefs?
Many students use their faith to guide their opinions on critical societal issues, complicating the relationship between religion and politics. This research sheds light on how faith influences political involvement by analyzing the impact of religious beliefs in conjunction with the political goals of college students.
We will first examine how religious convictions influence political behavior and identify the key political issues that concern today’s young adults. Understanding these factors will provide a comprehensive framework for analyzing the current political climate affecting college students.
Background
The relationship between religion and politics is vital, serving as a cross-cultural phenomenon that influences an individual's perspective, morals, personality, and overall identity.
Identifying common patterns among individuals with similar beliefs and understanding which political issues matter most to them is essential, particularly among young college voters. The identities they form in college can significantly influence their perspectives and choices in adulthood
This identity will shape many aspects of their life, including what issues matter most and what candidates they will vote for.
Due to the perception of some political identities, it is usually believed that people who vote a certain way follow a specific faith.
According to Pew Research Center, when Joe Biden was still running for President, White Christian voters favored Trump while non-religious respondents and Black Protestants preferred Joe Biden
This research agrees with the theory that faith can influence political decisions. But what about trends amongst college students and their spirituality?
A journal for the Scientific Study of Religion surveyed a Protestant university in the Southwest and found that “differences by political shift were most stark in the rates of students reporting lower and higher scores on the Christian Orthodoxy Scale. Forty percent of students who liberalized politically also liberalized regarding their Christian Orthodoxy scores.”
The journal explains, "Conversely, nearly 60 percent of students who shifted rightward politically had higher Orthodoxy scores in Year 3. Students liberalizing politically reported questioning their religious beliefs more often in Year 3 at a proportion twice the size of those whose politics did not change.”
This study emphasizes how students' political views and religious identities interact dynamically. It implies that students may shift their religious views when interacting with changing political ideas, which might prompt them to reevaluate and question their convictions.
These developments may impact the understanding of the more comprehensive societal changes in political allegiance and religious observance, particularly among younger generations.
The survey
Dr Lee Hannah’s Campaigns and Elections class surveyed Wright State students in public spaces. A paper copy or online version of a survey was given.
During this survey, demographic questions were asked about race, age, gender, and ethnicity alongside questions about how they will vote, what issues pertain to them this election, and how favorable each candidate is this election year.
Based on this evidence gathered, we were able to observe some trends in the data.
Respondents identified immigration, democracy, the economy, and abortion as the most important factors influencing their choice of president. The survey indicated that, aside from the "other" category, these four issues ranked among the top three percent of choices.
Abortion has been a significant topic and it has been brought up by each candidate during their campaign and is ranked significantly among the top issues of each religious affiliation.
In our survey, over 50% of catholic respondents said that abortion is an important factor when voting, and over 60% of unaffiliated voters said that abortion is important.
According to Pew Research Center, a Catholic who voted for abortion and a None/unaffiliated voter who did the same may have listed that reason based on different ideals.
Of Catholics who attend Mass at least once a week, two-thirds (67%) believe abortion should be prohibited in all or most situations, while one-third (33%) believe it should be permitted.
In contrast, 86% of Americans who do not identify as religious believe that abortion should be permitted in most or all situations.
Based on the statistics and voting patterns, active religious groups approach these issues from a conservative perspective, while others, including those who identify as unaffiliated, adopt a more liberal viewpoint.
Limitations
Based on the survey, we were able to gather information on some religious views, but to present them correctly, we required further details about particular demographics. For instance, less than 1% of the survey was completed by individuals identifying as Jewish and Mormon (LDS).
We can report confidently on the views of those who identify as Catholic, None/unaffiliated, other Christians, and Protestant. However, the figures for other demographics we cited may be limited due to extremely low percentages.
Additionally, respondents were required to select no more than three topics in the survey's issue section, which may have introduced a margin of error, as some participants might have filled out more than the allotted number.
Reflection
Research has extensively examined the relationship between age, voting, and faith, consistently finding that specific spiritual beliefs can influence voting behavior.
Although the research on college students and their faith combined with voting habits is limited, conducting this survey has been eye-opening as the data has reported some surprising findings on the similarity of concerns among different groups on campus
We can analyze the data to predict potential voting patterns based on how the two presidential candidates have addressed these issues. These findings are significant, as they reflect the views of a specific demographic, insights that are typically only available through community surveys.
