Abstract Research increasingly reveals the ways in which Christian nationalism influences political behavior. Recent studies suggest that Christian nationalism is linked to “punitiveness” and people's willingness to get “tough on crime.” While Christian nationalists may be more punitive in a general sense, we theorize that Christian nationalism shapes beliefs about who is most deserving of punishment in society in ways that are contingent on the identity of the offender and victim and the extent to which the crime violates particular norms. As such, we theorize that the effects of Christian nationalism on punitiveness often differ based on the crime description. We test our theoretical arguments with survey experiments implemented in the United States with two national samples. The results illuminate the nuanced relationship between Christian nationalism and punishment preferences. The study encourages political behavior, criminal justice, and religion and politics scholars to wrestle more deeply with the contextual dynamics that influence public opinion.
Walker et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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