Partisan and religious drivers of moral conservatism

Same-sex marriage and abortion in Northern Ireland

Bibliographic Data

ID6316626
AuthorsJocelyn Evans (0000-0001-8335-9630, University of Leeds), Jonathan Tonge (0000-0002-4350-9101, University of Liverpool, corresponding author)
Year2018
Volume24
Issue4
Pages335-346
Publication date2018-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueParty Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1354-0688 • E-ISSN: 1460-3683
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/1354068816656665
OpenAlexW2414397508
LanguageEN
Citations received9
References cited34

This article assesses the importance of religious affiliation, observance, faith and party choice in categorizing attitudes to two of the most important contemporary moral and ethical issues: same-sex marriage and abortion. While religious conditioning of moral attitudes has long been seen as important, this article goes beyond analyses grounded in religiosity to explore whether support for particular political parties – and the cues received from those parties on moral questions – may counter or reinforce messages from the churches. Drawing upon new data from the extensive survey of public opinion in the 2015 Northern Ireland election study, the article analyses the salience of religious, party choice and demographic variables in determining attitudes towards these two key social issues. Same-sex marriage and abortion (other than in very exceptional abortion cases) are both still banned in Northern Ireland, but the moral and religious conservatism underpinning prohibition has come under increasing challenge, especially in respect of same-sex marriage. The extent to which political messages compete with religious ones may influence attitudes to the moral issues of the moment

Abortion · Conservatism · Epistemology · Faith · Political science · Politics · Public opinion · Religiosity · Religious identity · Salience (neuroscience · Sociology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Irish and British Studies · Law · Psychology · Religion and Society Interactions · Social Psychology

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