The Religious Bases of Latino/a Political Participation

Previous research finds that religiosity and participating in church activities are frequently correlated with greater levels of political participation. While Latinos are often regarded as being a highly religious social group, however, this does not appear to translate into the expected rates of participation when compared to those of other racial and ethnic backgrounds. One of the most prominent explanations for this offered by the current literature suggests that, because Latinos have historically affiliated with Catholic churches instead of Protestant churches, they are less likely to engage in political activity due to the fewer opportunities available to develop civic skills in a hierarchical religion. Fundamentally, this raises the question of whether Latinos participate in politics at lower rates because of or in spite of their religious experiences. The above hypothesis, however, tends to treat religious traditions as monolithic without recognizing the different manners in which Latinos practice religion in the United States. In this dissertation, I utilize national survey data that takes into account the context under which individuals practice their faith to examine the key ways that religion can mobilize or demobilize individuals for political action: civic skill acquisition, direct political mobilization, religious beliefs, and networks of recruitment. While some religious beliefs lower rates of political engagement among Latinos, I demonstrate that, on the whole, churches have a substantial mobilizing effect for the Latino population. I conclude that it is in spite of religion that Latinos participate at comparatively low rates, rather than because of it. Furthermore, I argue that without the mobilization found in churches across religious traditions, Latinos would participate at lower rates than they presently do. While recognizing that churches serve an important civic function as a vehicle of political incorporation for Latinos and other historically underrepresented groups, the fact that churches (and not political parties or other democratic institutions) have this significant impact also highlights the substantial barriers and ongoing inequality of opportunity that prevent greater engagement of Latinos in the American political system.