Sundays Unbound: Blue Laws, Church Attendance, and Shifting Moral Attitudes in the U.S.

• In Event: 40868 - Social and Organizational Forces Influencing Religious Actors

Abstract

Religiosity in the United States has declined significantly over the past several decades. While this trend has been extensively documented and debated, its broader social and cultural consequences remain under-explored. In this study, we investigate how declining religiosity has influenced shifts in Americans' attitudes towards key moral issues, such as same-sex relationships, abortion, and gender norms. Using the repeal of blue laws as an instrumental variable, we identify the causal impact of reduced church attendance on public opinion. Our analysis shows that declining religious service attendance, induced by the repeal of blue laws, contributed to a more liberal trajectory in American moral attitudes in the late 20th century, reshaping public perspectives on important moral issues.

Authors

• Chaeyoon Lim, Washington University in St. Louis

• Dingeman Wiertz, University College London

• Ozan Aksoy, University of Oxford