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Does Church Attendance Cause People to Vote? Using Blue Laws’ Repeal to Estimate the Effect of Religiosity on Voter Turnout

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  • Gerber, Alan S.
  • Gruber, Jonathan
  • Hungerman, Daniel M.

Abstract

Regular church attendance is strongly associated with a higher probability of voting. It is an open question as to whether this association, which has been confirmed in numerous surveys, is causal. The repeal of the laws restricting Sunday retail activity (‘blue laws’) is used to measure the effects of church-going on political participation. Blue laws’ repeal caused a 5 percent decrease in church attendance. Its effect on political participation was measured and it was found that, following the repeal, turnout fell by approximately 1 percentage point. This decline in turnout is consistent with the large effect of church attendance on turnout reported in the literature, and suggests that church attendance may have a significant causal effect on voter turnout.

Suggested Citation

  • Gerber, Alan S. & Gruber, Jonathan & Hungerman, Daniel M., 2016. "Does Church Attendance Cause People to Vote? Using Blue Laws’ Repeal to Estimate the Effect of Religiosity on Voter Turnout," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 46(3), pages 481-500, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:bjposi:v:46:y:2016:i:03:p:481-500_00
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Daniel M. Hungerman & Kevin Rinz & Jay Frymark, 2019. "Beyond the Classroom: The Implications of School Vouchers for Church Finances," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 101(4), pages 588-601, October.
    2. Hungerman, Daniel & Rinz, Kevin & Weninger, Tim & Yoon, Chungeun, 2018. "Political campaigns and church contributions," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 403-426.
    3. Jha, Saumitra, 2014. "‘Unfinished business’: Historic complementarities, political competition and ethnic violence in Gujarat," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 18-36.
    4. Kurek, Przemysław J. & Fałkowski, Jan, 2022. "Religiosity and political participation - Panel data evidence from post-communist Poland," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    5. Danny Cohen‐Zada & Yotam Margalit & Oren Rigbi, 2016. "Does Religiosity Affect Support For Political Compromise?," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 57(3), pages 1085-1106, August.
    6. Daniel Stockemer & Michael J Wigginton, 2022. "The gender gap in voting in post-conflict elections: Evidence from Israel, Mali and Côte d’Ivoire," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 39(1), pages 74-96, January.
    7. Carol Galais & André Blais, 2019. "Is There a Gender Gap in the Sense of Duty to Vote?," Societies, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-15, November.
    8. Ekaterina Travova, 2022. "For God, Tsar and Fatherland? The Political Influence of Church," CERGE-EI Working Papers wp722, The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute, Prague.
    9. Saumitra Jha, 2013. ""Unfinished Business": Ethnic Complementarities and the Political Contagion of Peace and Conflict in Gujarat," NBER Working Papers 19203, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Daniel M. Hungerman, 2014. "Do Religious Proscriptions Matter?: Evidence from a Theory-Based Test," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 49(4), pages 1053-1093.
    11. Park, Yoon Soo, 2018. "Can Religion Save Our Health?: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from the U.S," KDI Journal of Economic Policy, Korea Development Institute (KDI), vol. 40(1), pages 31-43.
    12. Adam Pigoń, 2013. "What Affects Voter Turnout? Macro and Micro Evidence from Poland," Collegium of Economic Analysis Annals, Warsaw School of Economics, Collegium of Economic Analysis, issue 32, pages 77-105.

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