Emma Higbee
Research Mentor: Hilary Zedlitz
Mentor Department: Political Science, LSA
Author(s): Hilary Zedlitz, Emma Higbee
Session: Session 3 (11:00 AM – 11:50 AM)
Presentation Type: Poster 18
Abstract
Despite more studies attending to the increasing number of nonreligious Americans, political scientists pay little consideration to the formation processes behind nonreligious identities and how such processes affect whether nonreligious identity serves as a source of positive, negative, or apathetic identity. In this project, we theorize that individuals with childhood exposure to religion differ from those raised outside of religion. Furthermore, those who reject religion differ from those who gradually leave. Using an online survey with original (non)religious identity measures, we test the association between nonreligious identity formation and the type of nonreligious identity an individual develops. In this working project, we expect to find evidence that suggests that childhood religious exposure does affect the development of rejection nonreligious identities (a form of negative identity) and political behavior. Together, these suggest a currently unexamined difference within the nonreligous community and poses potential avenues for future research on how nonreligious identity formation processes affect political attitudes and behaviors.
