Evangelical Support for Trump Eroding?

[Dill]

(10-12-2018, 12:42 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: This thread reminded me of something I read last year and I finally found it, today, while on my lunch break: https://religioninpublic.blog/2017/02/14/are-evangelicals-economic-conservatives-too/

Thanks for posting that.  I have never seen much daylight between Evangelicals and secular Republicans when it comes to economic issues.  Interesting too, the link to concerns about the "size and scope of government" appear to increase after the rise of the Tea Party.

We also argue that the emergence of the Tea Party, which has been credited for moving the Republican Party in a more conservative direction on many economic issues, may have played a role as well. Tea Party organizations, in collaboration with conservative think tanks and religious organizations, have embraced a biblically-backed view of economic conservatism, which has found appeal among many white evangelical Protestants.  Our analysis in the journal article, in fact, examines General Social Survey data since the early 2000s, showing that while white evangelicals have long held more conservative views on economic policy than most Americans, their attitudes on the size and scope of government began to diverge in a more conservative direction after the rise of the Tea Party in 2009.

The important point here is that the allegiance that many white evangelicals feel for the GOP is not only present because of cultural concerns. White evangelicals have come to support conservative economic positions long espoused by Republicans nationally, including their embrace of tax cuts as a way to stimulate the nation’s economy.  While Trump’s emphasis on religious liberty and national security may have appealed to many white evangelicals, his promise of tax cuts certainly did not hurt.