Who Supports Syrians? The Relative Importance of Religion, Partisanship, and Partisan News
by Brian Newman, Pepperdine University
One week into his presidency, Donald Trump faced protests at airports across the country over his refugee policy. Since then, Trump has doubled down, decreasing the number of refugees the U.S. will take in. In contrast, religious leaders from various traditions made explicitly religious arguments for welcoming refugees. In a rare context in which Republican and religious messages conflict, which one wins the day? Analysis of three public opinion surveys finds that partisan cues are far more predictive of attitudes toward refugees than religious cues. Democrats, liberals, Trump skeptics, MSNBC viewers, church attenders, the college educated and the young most support allowing refugees into the U.S.
PS: Political Science & Politics / Volume 51 / Issue 4 / October 2018