What Counts as Discrimination Against Whom? Understanding Perceived Discrimination Against Christians.
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| Title: | What Counts as Discrimination Against Whom? Understanding Perceived Discrimination Against Christians. |
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| Authors: | Margolis, Michele F. (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). Jun2026, Vol. 65 Issue 2, p203-216. 14p. |
| Subjects: | Perceived discrimination, Christians, Social perception, Group identity, Religious groups, Religious identity, Scientific experimentation |
| Geographic Terms: | United States |
| Abstract: | White evangelical Christians consistently report feeling among the most discriminated against groups in the United States. Taking this surprising empirical finding as a point of departure, this article investigates why white evangelicals perceive such high levels of discrimination. Drawing on data from a large‐scale survey experiment, the study finds that white evangelicals are especially attuned to slights directed at a fellow Christian but are significantly less likely to view the same behavior as discriminatory when it targets a member of a religious out‐group. Moreover, this pattern is unique to white evangelicals: White non‐evangelicals and non‐white evangelicals are equally likely to perceive discrimination, regardless of the religious identity of the target. These results underscore the power of group identity in shaping perceptions and suggest that white evangelicals tend to interpret social experiences through religion‐tinted glasses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) is the property of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | White evangelical Christians consistently report feeling among the most discriminated against groups in the United States. Taking this surprising empirical finding as a point of departure, this article investigates why white evangelicals perceive such high levels of discrimination. Drawing on data from a large‐scale survey experiment, the study finds that white evangelicals are especially attuned to slights directed at a fellow Christian but are significantly less likely to view the same behavior as discriminatory when it targets a member of a religious out‐group. Moreover, this pattern is unique to white evangelicals: White non‐evangelicals and non‐white evangelicals are equally likely to perceive discrimination, regardless of the religious identity of the target. These results underscore the power of group identity in shaping perceptions and suggest that white evangelicals tend to interpret social experiences through religion‐tinted glasses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 00218294 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/jssr.70023 |
