The measurement of Christian nationalism in broader perspective: a systematic reevaluation

The literature on Christian nationalism has expanded and matured quickly. Nonetheless, few pieces have documented the measurement properties of its namesake concept, and those that have trumpet conclusions that vary from “the most common measure is flawed” to “Christian nationalism is highly robust to measurement variance.” To address this emerging measurement controversy, we start by exploring the factor structure of 10 datasets containing the 6 original Baylor Religion Survey items. We then investigate the factor structure and estimated relationships supported by both these items and a range of additional Christian nationalism questions. Our overwhelming conclusion is that Christian nationalism is a multifaceted concept and a small number of items are capable of effectively tapping it.