Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Document Type

Chapman access only poster or presentation

Publication Date

Spring 5-14-2015

Faculty Advisor(s)

Ann Gordon, Patricia See

Abstract

The majority of research and understanding conducted on religion’s relationship with partisan identification in the United States has often ignored religious minorities in political behavior studies, particularly Muslim-Americans. However, numbering between 2.3 and 7 million, Muslim-Americans contribute to an undeniably growing presence in the modern day fabric of America, one that increasingly demands attention in studying the impact of religion and religiosity on political behavior. This essay focuses on the political tendencies of Muslim-Americans and how various factors (i.e. attitudes towards this population, attempts by parties to recruit members of this religion, extent of religious participation, etc.) contribute to the development of Muslim-American partisan identification, and secondarily, tendency to vote more liberally or conservatively. I hypothesize that varying degrees of religiosity and the proposed alienation and attitudes toward Muslim-Americans results in a higher tendency for this population to avoid identifying with a political party. Additionally, I will seek to understand the tendency of Muslim-Americans to vote more liberally, and how this may increase alignment with the Democratic Party. I will be analyzing data from the 2007 survey of Muslims in America collected by the Pew Research Center to understand the nuances of how Muslim-Americans are likely to vote, considering for the factors of religiosity and perceived attitudes, and consequently the impact on party affiliation.

Comments

Presented at the Spring 2015 Student Research Day at Chapman University.

Access to this poster is restricted to Chapman University students, faculty, staff, and affiliates.

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