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Sigma: Journal of Political and International Studies

Hannah Criser

Keywords

Christian nationalists, democratic norm violations, political ideology, conservative politics, political identity

Abstract

How do Christian nationalists react to democratic norm violations from fellow citizens? Previous research on Christian nationalism shows that believers of the ideology prefer right-leaning, conservative politics with a particular affinity for Donald J. Trump, who has shown to support and participate in democratic violations, such as denying election results and advocating for media suppression. However, little is known regarding how Christian nationalists would react to the democratic norm violations committed by fellow peers. In a nationally representative online survey fielded in October 2024, I discover that Christian nationalists are more likely to identify with and support violating democratic norms, which include tolerance for the use of political violence, voter suppression, and refusal to accept election results in this study. There is no relationship between Christian nationalism and levels of religiosity, measured by self-reported weekly religious participation. There is also a statistically significant relationship between tolerance of democratic norms and age, because older Americans (65+) are even more likely to tolerate norm violations than Christian nationalists, which is an unexpected result. This research is beneficial to those who seek to understand political extremism in U.S. public opinion as well as those who wish to seek remedies against extreme partisan politics in American political discourse. Further research is needed regarding the consequences of pervasive norm-violating opinions, how Christian nationalists come to support norm-breaking behavior, and why there is no observed relationship between Christian nationalism and religiosity.

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