State Support for Religion and Societal Treatment of Religious Minorities

• In Event: Religion, State, and Mass Attitudes

Abstract

This study examines the impact of state support for religion on societal discrimination against religious minorities using the Religion and State-Minorities dataset. While many studies have assessed the impact of sate support for religion in government-based religious discrimination, its impact on societal behavior toward religious minorities less often theorized and tested. While several studies have linked state support for religion to terrorism by Muslim in Muslim-majority countries, including terror against religious minorities, there have been few empirical studies examining this dynamic outside the Muslim world. These studies argue that state support for religion encourages radicalism among members of the majority religion as well as sends signals that attacking religious minorities will be tolerated. This study tests this relationship in Christian majority countries. As majority-on-minority terror is rare in Christian-majority countries I focus on societal religious discrimination which includes the following types of acts: economic discrimination, speech acts, property crimes, nonviolent harassment and violence. The results show that state support for religion does predict levels of societal discrimination against religious minorities.

Authors

• Jonathan Fox, Bar Ilan University

• Ariel Zellman, Bar Ilan University