CHURCH ATTENDANCE AND PROTEST PARTICIPATION IN THE UNITED STATES

Abstract

While church attendance is linked to many forms of civic and political engagement, the relationship between church attendance and protest participation is underexplored. Drawing on three waves of the Cooperative Election Study, I examine whether church attendance is positively and significantly associated with protest participation among both the general US adult population and specific religious traditions. I find that church attendance is a positive and significant predictor of protest participation among the general population, Catholics, Mainline Protestants, Black Protestants, and Jews. However, church attendance is only moderately associated with protest participation for Evangelicals. These findings further our understanding of the relationship between church attendance and protest participation and civic engagement more broadly.