Attitudes toward Mormons and Voter Behavior in the 2012 Presidential Election

Bibliographic Data

ID6212365
AuthorsGeorge Hawley (0000-0003-0489-9730, University of Alabama, corresponding author)
Year2015
Volume8
Issue1
Pages60-85
Publication date2015-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolitics and Religion (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1755-0491 • E-ISSN: 1755-0483
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s1755048315000048
OpenAlexW2038227946
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited16

Prior to the 2012 presidential election, some commentators speculated that Mitt Romney's status as a devout and active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would undermine his presidential aspirations. Using the 2012 American National Election Survey, this study examines the relationship between attitudes toward Mormons and voter behavior in the United States in that election year. It finds that attitudes toward Mormons had a statistically-significant effect on turnout — though these effects differed according to party identification. It additionally finds that these attitudes influenced vote choice. In both cases, the substantive effects were small, indicating that anti-Mormon feelings did play a role in the 2012 presidential election, but they did not determine the final outcome

Feeling · Identification (biology · National election · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Presidential election · Presidential system · Sociology · Turnout · Voter turnout · Voting · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Gender Politics and Representation · Law · Psychology · Public Administration · Religion and Society Interactions · Social Psychology

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