Study links Christian Nationalism to an interesting policing policy belief

Christian Nationalism has become an ever-increasing phenomenon in the United States and new studies are emerging delving into what this group of Americans think on a wide range of topics.

A recent study published in February 2024 focused in on what Christian Nationalists thought about the redistribution of poling funding, and what researchers discovered was extremely interesting.

Christian Nationalists who hold strong religious beliefs are far more likely to oppose the redistribution of police funding away from anything that doesn’t directly support policing actions according to the study's findings. 

Published in the journal Sociology of Religion, researchers discovered that people with strong beliefs in Christian Nationalist ideology weren’t open to redistributing police funds to pay for other important social services. 

For example, Christian Nationalists were opposed to redistributing police funding to things like mental health and housing services. But what prompted this new research and why are its findings concerning the US?

Christian Nationalism mixes nationalism, patriotism, and religion to define the world around them and how it should exist. Christianity Today pointed out that Christian Nationalists think the US is a nation defined by Christian values. 

Moreover, Christian Nationalists assert that because America was a country founded on Christian values, the government should take an active role in preserving the country as a nation deeply rooted in Christianity. 

“We’re each interested in the proliferation of Christian nationalism in the United States and specifically how this ideology shapes political and social attitudes,” explained study co-author Derek Lehmen of Tarleton State University according to PsyPost about why he and his fellow researchers wanted to explore this topic. 

“One of the hot-button topics in America recently has been policing and so exploring the relationship between attitudes about police funding and Christian nationalism seemed like an interesting and timely thing to study,” Lehman added. 

The researchers used data from the 2021 General Social Survey, which was conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic, and gathered its results from 4,032 respondents between December 2020 and May 2021. 

Included in the survey information was data specifically asking participants about their views on redistributing police funding to various social services as well as measurements of those who held Christian Nationalist beliefs. 

The survey data revealed that 37% of people who scored high on the Christian nationalism index were much more likely to be opposed to the redistribution of police funding to social services. A finding PsyPost noted was remarkably consistent. 

Regardless of controlling factors, Christian Nationalists across the board were willing to oppose the redistribution of police funding. This included all racial groups, which was a fact commented on by the study’s authors. 

Derek Lehmen noted: “We were surprised to find that the effect of Christian nationalism on opposition to reallocating police funding was not mediated by race.” Lehman added previous research had also revealed a similar trend. 

“Other researchers have shown that, particularly for Black Christians, Christian nationalist attitudes can engender support for social justice causes. We found that, across racial groups, Americans who embrace Christian nationalism were more opposed to redistributing funds for policing,” Lehman explained. 

The study also revealed that Republicans and people who identified as conservatives were more likely to oppose the redistribution of police funding to social services. However, Christian Nationalist beliefs were the strongest predictor of opposition. 

Another interesting discovery of the study that is less surprising than the others was the finding that those who perceive racial inequality as a consequence of personal failings were also more likely to oppose the redistribution of police funding. 

However, the study did have its limits, and Lehman told PsyPost that the research was conducted in the context of the Defund the Police movement, a movement and term that was not part of the 2021 General Social Survey or its questions.

“Because of that, we aren’t sure how or if respondents’ perception of the movement affected their responses. We hope that future research can parse that out.” Lehman added.