Religion and altruistic U.S. foreign policy goals: Evidence from a national survey of church members

Robert Wuthnow, Valerie Lewis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

32 Scopus citations

Abstract

Interest in the possible role of religion in shaping attitudes toward the U.S. foreign policy has increased significantly in recent years, but relatively few studies have been conducted. Drawing on a new national survey of church members, we examine the relationships of religious identity, religious involvement, and congregational programs to attitudes about the importance of altruistic foreign policy goals. We find no support for popular claims that evangelical Protestants hold particularly supportive attitudes toward international human rights and humanitarian aid policies. We find only modest support for the idea that attendance at worship services encourages people to be altruistic in a way that influences their views about foreign policy. However, we do find considerable support for the idea that congregations can shape members' views about foreign policy through intentional activities that raise awareness of needs at home and abroad.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)191-209
Number of pages19
JournalJournal for the Scientific Study of Religion
Volume47
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2008

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Religious studies

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