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Attitudes Toward the Electability of Atheist and Nontraditional Religious Candidates

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Attitudes Toward the Electability of Atheist and Nontraditional Religious Candidates Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 2021 Attitudes Toward the Electability of Atheist and Nontraditional Religious Candidates Brittany Escobedo Walden University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of the Political Science Commons, Religion Commons, and the Social Psychology Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Walden University College of Social and Behavioral Sciences This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by Brittany Kali Bullock Escobedo has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Hedy Dexter, Committee Chairperson, Psychology Faculty Dr. Brandon Cosley, Committee Member, Psychology Faculty Dr. Charles Diebold, University Reviewer, Psychology Faculty Chief Academic Officer and Provost Sue Subocz, Ph.D. Walden University 2021 Abstract Attitudes Toward the Electability of Atheist and Nontraditional Religious Candidates by Brittany Kali Bullock Escobedo Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Psychology Walden University August 2021 Abstract Atheists are underrepresented in political office compared to their numbers in the general population. In the United States, anti-atheist prejudice is prevalent, likely contributing to the disparity in atheist representation. Informed by social identity theory and the sociofunctional approach to prejudice, the purpose of this study was to examine the comparative electability of atheists compared to other minority religious identities, as well as one nonminority option for a baseline reference of attitudes. Using the voter likelihood scale and three 7-point semantic differential scales, 579 participants rated their intention to vote for and their feelings of trust, disgust, and fear toward one of four political candidates representing different religious groups but who were otherwise the same candidate (Protestant, Mormon, Scientologist, and atheist) presented to them randomly. Data were analyzed using four separate 2 X 4 factorial analyses of variance. Findings suggest that atheists are not viewed as unfavorably as Scientologists (groups perceived as cults), though atheists were viewed unfavorably on all measures of trust, disgust, and fear. Generating grassroots discourse about religious minority underrepresentation in elected office, as well as the prejudicial views many Americans hold toward minority religions, may build awareness and acceptance leading to positive social change. Attitudes Toward the Electability of Atheist and Nontraditional Religious Candidates by Brittany Kali Bullock Escobedo Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Psychology Walden University June 2021 Dedication This dissertation is dedicated to all of those who were born into ignorance, abuse, disability, or poverty-stricken homes, in hopes that despite the odds, they may one day achieve higher goals and grow beyond the hand they have been dealt. Acknowledgments I would like to thank my husband and children, who played important roles in the development of this dissertation, for their patience and understanding of the time I invested in my education and research that meant less time with them. I would also like to thank Dr. Dexter and Dr. Cosley for their time and invaluable feedback, without which this dissertation would not have been possible or refined from a coarse idea into a functional research contribution, and Dr. Franks who kindly provided permission for use of his scales as well as discussions on the topic. Lastly, I would like to thank those who doubted me along the way which provided me the strength to persevere in the face of adversity. Table of Contents List of Tables .......................................................................................................................v List of Figures .................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1: Introduction to the Study ....................................................................................1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 Background ....................................................................................................................2 Problem Statement .........................................................................................................3 Purpose of the Study ......................................................................................................6 Research Questions and Hypotheses .............................................................................7 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................10 Nature of the Study ......................................................................................................11 Definition of Terms......................................................................................................12 Assumptions .................................................................................................................14 Scope and Delimitations ..............................................................................................15 Limitations ...................................................................................................................16 Significance of the Study .............................................................................................16 Summary ......................................................................................................................17 Chapter 2: Literature Review .............................................................................................19 Introduction ..................................................................................................................19 Current Literature and the Relevance of the Problem .......................................... 25 Preview of Major Sections of the Chapter ............................................................ 27 Literature Search Strategy............................................................................................27 i Theoretical Foundation ................................................................................................29 The Socio-functional Approach to Prejudice ........................................................ 29 Social Identity Theory........................................................................................... 35 Rationale for SIT and Socio-functional Approach in Proposed Study ................. 42 Literature Review Related to Key Variables ...............................................................43 Religious Discrimination ...................................................................................... 44 Ingroup/Outgroup Prejudice and Discrimination as a Function of Social Identity ...................................................................................................... 59 Emotional Responses Association with Ingroup/Outgroup Prejudice and Discrimination........................................................................................... 61 Voting Behavior as a Function of Ingroup/Outgroup Prejudice and Discrimination........................................................................................... 62 Summary and Conclusions ..........................................................................................64 Chapter 3: Research Method ..............................................................................................66 Introduction ..................................................................................................................66 Research Design and Rationale ...................................................................................67 Methodology ................................................................................................................68 Population ............................................................................................................. 68 Sampling ............................................................................................................... 68 Power Analysis ..................................................................................................... 69 Procedures for Recruitment, Participation, and Data Collection .......................... 70 Instrumentation and Operationalization of Constructs ................................................72 ii Demographic Questions ........................................................................................ 73 Candidate Description ........................................................................................... 73 Three 7-Point Semantic Differential Scales .......................................................... 74 Voter Likelihood Scale ........................................................................................
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