LogFAQs > #945185075

This is what we call in the research world a confounding variable. Just because there is a correlation between being Christian and being Republican, does not mean that one causes the other or that there is a direct effect (in most cases).

From what I have seen, both tend to stem from a third (confounding) variable: rural living. People in rural areas are more likely to be Republican due to conservative policies (supposedly) benefiting their way of life. People in rural areas are also more traditionally church-going and Christian. I experienced this when I lived in Oklahoma for almost a decade.

Once you start to move to urban areas, you start finding more Christian Democrats. It's more about location than it is anything else.

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