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The Effect Of Religious Affiliation And Church Attendance On State Fiscal Progressivity, Erika Dayle Siu

Erika Dayle Siu

This study finds that with minor exception, neither religious affiliation nor regular church attendance significantly affects state fiscal progressivity. Based on an examination of prevailing theological traditions within major religious groups, a viable hypothesis is that a state’s fiscal progressivity should correlate to its religious demographics to some extent, depending on the social justice beliefs of each religious group. If so, states with a greater percentage of Catholics and Jewish residents would have more fiscal progressivity; states with a greater percentage of Mainline Protestants and Historically Black Church members would also evidence fiscal progressivity but to a lesser extent; and …