Religion plus politics doesn’t necessarily equal right-wing.
A new UF study conducted in collaboration with the University of Notre Dame and the University of Cincinnati reveals a diversity in political leanings among religious voters that might not have been as obvious before.
Kenneth Wald, UF political science professor and collaborator on the study, said a religious left has become more prominent over the recent years.
According to the study, voting trends among Christians have shifted more left than in the past.
“We’re at a point in history where the opportunities for the religious left are better than before,” he said.
However, he noted there has been political diversity among those who practice a religion for a long time.
“We’re not claiming that we’ve found something new,” he said.
UF Levin College of Law student and Christian Legal Society president Christine Pratt said she has noticed a movement of Christians trying to work against a stereotype that pegs them all down as hard-line conservatives.
“There are issues to the left of center that are valid,” she said.
Even though her political views are mostly conservative, she identifies with issues commonly touted by liberals like social welfare and taking care of the environment.
Wald attributed some of the shifts in attitudes to the younger members of evangelical groups, as they have criticized their leadership more.
