Religious Dones Become More Politically Liberal After Leaving Religion

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Sociology of Religion
• Political Science

Background:

• Religious residue suggests aspects of religion persist after de-identification.
• Previous research has established religious residue in various domains.
• The extension of religious residue to political orientation remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether religious residue influences political orientation.
• To determine if individuals who leave religion (religious dones) exhibit more liberal political attitudes.
• To examine the relationship between religious de-identification and political liberalism.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of eight samples from three countries (N=11,017).
• Utilized cross-sectional (Studies 1a-f) and longitudinal (Studies 2 & 3) research designs.
• Compared political attitudes of religious dones, religious individuals, and never-religious individuals.

Main Results:

• Adult religious dones reported significantly more liberal attitudes than religious and never-religious individuals (Studies 1a-f).
• Longitudinal data confirmed religious dones hold more liberal attitudes than religious individuals (Study 2).
• Religious de-identification longitudinally predicted a more liberal political orientation (Study 3).

Conclusions:

• Religious dones become more politically liberal after leaving religion, rather than exhibiting political residue.
• Findings suggest a contextual boundary condition for religious residue across cultures.
• The study contributes to understanding the psychological and social shifts post-religious disaffiliation.