Dissertation: From Reason Rally to Political Reality: Understanding Nonreligious Identity Formation
and Politics in the United States
My dissertation fills a critical gap in our understanding of the political behavior and attitudes of nonreligious Americans by distinguishing between nonreligious sub-identities, identity formation processes, and examining their political attitudes toward religious freedom policies. It is composed of three empirical papers:
Paper 1: Nonreligious Identity Formation
This paper examines how nonreligious Americans form their identities, distinguishing between positive and negative identification as well as individuals who reject versus drift away from religion. It uses data from an original online survey.
Status: Draft
Paper 2: (Not) Hiding Your Religion: Politics and Self-Presentation among (Non)religious Americans
Using a survey experiment with a mock social media profile modelled after online dating apps, this paper investigates how Americans navigate disclosing their (non)religious identities in online political environments. Findings shed light on social signaling and strategic self-presentation among religious and nonreligious individuals.
Status: Working Paper
Paper 3: Faithless Politics: How Nonreligious Identity Shapes Attitudes toward Religious Liberty Policies
Using an original online survey, this paper examines the relationship between nonreligious identity formation and attitudes toward religious freedom policies. It considers how different nonreligious identities shape perspectives on policy debates around religious liberty.
Status: In Progress