Culture wars and classism

Christian nationalism, economic position, and Americans’ approval of inequality

Bibliographic Data

ID22461277
AuthorsL Perry (0000-0002-6398-636X, University of Oklahoma, corresponding author), Andrew L Whitehead (0000-0001-6587-0996, Department of Sociology, Indiana University at Indianapolis)
Year2026
Publication date2026-04-24
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSocial Forces (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0037-7732 • E-ISSN: 1534-7605
PublisherOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/sf/soag034
OpenAlexW7155564101
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited55

The United States has witnessed a concomitant rise in economic inequality and increasingly explicit Christian nationalist rhetoric at multiple levels of governance. Yet research has not examined how Americans’ views on Christian nationalism might justify the economic inequality. We theorize a connection between Christian nationalism and approval of economic inequality, but one contingent on economic position. Building on scholarship showing how White racial in-group commitments interact with Christian nationalism to sacralize racial hierarchies, we theorize Christian nationalism unites those who gain from economic inequality, and thus, it should drive support for economic inequality most among higher-earning Americans. Analyses of the 2021 General Social Survey affirm Christian nationalism is consistently associated with Americans’ approval of economic inequality by numerous indicators, whether in the abstract or concretely regarding education and health. However, interactions reveal this association is isolated to Americans in the highest income quartile. Replication with the 2014 Boundaries in American Mosaic survey and Pew’s 2024 American Trends Panel survey shows the same pattern: Christian nationalism and approval of economic inequality are associated primarily among higher-earners. Thus, despite lower-income Americans being more likely to embrace Christian nationalism overall, it is not bound up with their views on economic inequality. Rather, Christian nationalism is associated with approval of economic inequality among those who benefit from it, namely, higher-income Americans. Our findings thus hold implications for understanding religion’s contingent role in shaping Americans’ acceptance of inequality.

Economic inequality · Economic nationalism · Inequality · Nationalism · Power (physics) · Rhetoric · Scholarship · Survey data collection · Religion and Society Interactions · Religion, Society, and Development · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology

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