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A Political Profile of U.S. Pagans

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 April 2021

Kathleen Marchetti Open the ORCID record for Kathleen Marchetti [Opens in a new window]
Kathleen Marchetti*
Affiliation:
Dickinson College
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Kathleen Marchetti, Department of Political Science, Dickinson College, P.O. Box 1773 Carlisle, PA17013. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Although prior research has explored the demographic characteristics, religious practices, and beliefs of modern Pagans, their political attitudes and actions have yet to be studied in depth. Further, most extant research is based on non-random samples of Pagans which calls into question the generalizability of prior findings. This article examines Pagans' political attitudes and behavior using a representative sample of Pagans in the United States drawn from the 2014 Pew Religious Landscape Study. Descriptive and multivariate analyses show that Pagan religious identity shapes political views and behavior despite the varied and decentralized nature of Paganism. Overall, Pagans are relatively liberal and supportive of issues common across Pagan traditions like the environment and LGBTQ rights. However, Pagans are somewhat less politically engaged than non-Pagans as evidenced by their lower levels of party identity and voter registration.

Type
Article
Information
Politics and Religion , Volume 15 , Issue 1 , March 2022 , pp. 142 - 168
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Religion and Politics Section of the American Political Science Association

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