Evans, J orcid.org/0000-0001-8335-9630 and Tonge, J (2018) Partisan and religious drivers of moral conservatism: Same-sex marriage and abortion in Northern Ireland. Party Politics, 24 (4). pp. 335-346. ISSN 1354-0688
Abstract
This article assesses the importance of religious affiliation, observance, faith and party choice in categorising attitudes to two of the most important contemporary moral and ethical issues: same-sex marriage and abortion. Whilst religious conditioning of moral attitudes has long been seen as important, this article goes beyond analyses grounded in religiosity to explore whether support for particular political parties – and the cues received from those parties on moral questions – may counter or reinforce messages from the churches. Drawing upon new data from the extensive survey of public opinion in the 2015 Northern Ireland election study, the article analyses the salience of religious, party choice and demographic variables in determining attitudes towards two key social issues. Same-sex marriage and abortion (other than in very exceptional abortion cases) are both still banned in Northern Ireland, but the moral and religious conservatism underpinning prohibition has come under increasing challenge, especially in respect of same-sex marriage. The extent to which political messages compete with religious ones may influence attitudes to the moral issues of the moment.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2016. This is an author accepted version of a paper accepted for publication in Party Politics. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | abortion; faith; Northern Ireland; political parties; religion; same-sex marriage |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Education, Social Sciences and Law (Leeds) > School of Politics & International Studies (POLIS) (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number ESRC ES/L007320/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 01 Jun 2016 10:54 |
Last Modified: | 13 Jul 2018 13:55 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1177/1354068816656665 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | SAGE Publications |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:100349 |