Religion and Identity Politics among Blacks and Whites.

Recent research in the sociology of religion highlights the complex ways in which multiple group identities compete for primacy in shaping individuals' beliefs and behaviors. Much of this research has focused on blacks and whites and has found considerable differences in religion's association with consequential social outcomes. This article extends this research and adds an additional layer of complexity by examining how race, gender, and religion interact to influence attitudes and behaviors on key issues of the day, specifically the formation of conservative family values and voting behaviors. The analysis draws on data from the 2006 Panel of American Religion to assess whether and how different dimensions of religion influence these outcomes and whether this varies by race, gender, and specific facet of religious identity in question. In addition, we examine the extent to which religiously-based attitudes correlate with behaviors one might expect to follow from those attitudes. The results find marked differences in religion's association with attitudes and behaviors and inconsistent relationships between attitudes and behaviors across racial-gender groups. Of all groups, black women stand out as an exceptional case, suggesting their experiences are unique from both their white female and black male peers. Our findings add to the growing qualitative literature on intersecting identities and demonstrate the need for greater attention to racial and gender differences in "religious effects" on social outcomes [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]