Voter Turnout in America: Are Christians More Likely to Vote?

Stephen F Austin State University, Baker Pattillo Student Center, Twilight and Grand Ballrooms

Voter turnout in the United States is an important issue in political science. There are a number of factors that affect whether an individual votes in elections, which include education, age, and race. Research on the concept of the effect that religion has on voting behavior in the United States is sparse at best. Thus, the purpose of my research was to formulate and test a hypothesis regarding turnout and religion. Given Christianity’s being the largest religion in the United States, I decided to see whether Christians are more likely to vote. The method involved using survey data from the General Social Survey’s (GSS) 2006 data. I used statistical analysis software to run regression models of a variables measuring both voting and identification as a Christian. I hypothesized that Christians would be more likely to vote than non-Christians. Based on the results, I was able to reject the null hypothesis that being a Christian had no effect on whether an individual votes. Based on my research, Christians are much more likely to vote than non-Christians.