An Intersectional Analysis of Perspectives on Science and Religion in the United States

ABSTRACT

Using General Social Survey data (n = 3,504), we examine racial, ethnic, and gender divisions in perspectives on science and religion. We find that while blacks and Latinos are each more likely than whites to be oriented toward religion and away from science, gender differentiates this perspective among Latinos and whites but not among blacks. Furthermore, although whites are more likely than blacks and Latinos to be oriented toward both science and religion, Latino men are more likely than Latina women to be so, but there is no gender difference among blacks or whites. We argue that the collective memory of gendered experiences with racism vis-à-vis science and religion contribute to group-specific views of these two sources of knowledge and authority. These findings underscore the value of an intersectional approach to understanding attitudinal divides and political culture in the United States.

KEYWORDS:

• Gender
• intersectionality
• race
• religion
• science

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Vanessa Fonseca, Patricia McManus, Brian Powell, Rashawn Ray, and Abigail A. Sewell for helpful feedback and conversations on earlier drafts of this article

Funding

Funding provided by grant number SRS 0935815 from the National Science Foundation.

Notes

1. The question of how to conceptualize biblical literalism is the subject of considerable scholarly debate. Some argue that literalism is a marker of conservative Protestant group identity more so than an indicator of religiosity (Boone 1989). However, others view literalism from a more hermeneutical, “bottom-up” perspective (Bartkowski 1996), which is consistent with our interpretation. Our treatment of literalism as distinct from conservative Protestant identity is further supported by the substantial number of conservative Protestants in our sample—roughly 44 percent—who do not hold literalist views of the Bible. While members of black Protestant faiths are also more likely than others to hold literalist views of the Bible, approximately 37 percent of the black Protestants in our sample report nonliteralist interpretations. Thus, while biblical literalism may be related to doctrinal assent, we argue that literalism and religious identity are conceptually and analytically distinct. Nonetheless, our multiple regression analysis includes controls for religious traditions in order to assess ethno-racial and gender differences in perspectives on science and religion net of differences in religious belief–associated faith traditions.

2. A Lo–Mendel–Rubin (LMR) likelihood-ratio test indicated that the three-class model provided the best fit for the data although the Bayesian information criterion (BIC) decreased incrementally when more than three latent classes were examined. Substantively, adding more than three latent classes to the model served to divide the continuum between traditional and modern perspectives into smaller groups, while the postsecular class was mostly unchanged. Ultimately, our decision to focus on the three-class model was based on a combination of statistical, substantive, and theoretical considerations.

3. Individuals whose racial and ethnic identification was “other” are excluded from regression analyses.

4. The average variance inflation factor (VIF) for the model including all control variables is 1.84, which indicates that multicollinearity is not a substantial source of bias.

5. Appendix Table A3 contains tests of difference between each racial, ethnic, and gender group in the analysis, adjusted for control variables.

Additional information

Funding

Funding provided by grant number SRS 0935815 from the National Science Foundation.

Notes on contributors

Shiri Noy

Shiri Noy is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Wyoming. Her research examines globalization, development, and political culture and how these processes influence social inequality and public policy. In addition to her work on science and religion in society, she is author of several articles and a book Banking on Health: The World Bank and Health Sector Reform in Latin America that examine the role of international organizations in global health.

Timothy L. O’Brien

Timothy L. O’Brien is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His research focuses on how authority, credibility, and expertise are recognized in different settings. Aside from his work on public perceptions of science and religion, he has recently published articles on the roles of scientists and other experts in politics, law, and education.