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Meredith Baldwin Thesis Final.pdf (981.67 KB)

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The Impact of Christian Nationalist Ideology on the Belongingness of Marginalized Groups

Baldwin, Meredith
http://orcid.org/0009-0000-2478-7686
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1744883001705442

Abstract Details

2025, Master of Social Work, Ohio State University, Social Work.
Believers of Christian nationalist ideology think that Christianity should be given a place of prominence in the United States and its government, even at the expense of people of other faiths (Gorski et al., 2022). As social workers we are called by our code of ethics to help all people, we especially need to pay attention to groups that are traditinally marginalized. (National Association of Social Workers., 2021) Marginalized groups includes the LGBT+ community, immigrents, and women. The study aim is to examine the association between Christian nationalist ideology and perceptions of marginalized groups. There are two research questions, the first is: what are the characteristics of people who ascribe to Christian nationalist ideology. The second is: what policies do those who ascribe to Christian nationalist ideology support in relation to marginalized groups? The second research question has three associated hypotheses. Hypothesis 2.1 People who ascribe to Christian nationalist ideology are more likely to favor policies that reduce the number of foreign-born individuals in the country. Hypothesis 2.2 People who ascribe to Christian nationalist ideology are more likely to support policies that discriminate against the LGBT+ community. Hypothesis 2.3 People who ascribe to Christian nationalist ideology are more likely to support policies that restrict abortion care. This thesis used data from the PRRI 2022 White Christian Nationalism Survey. This survey was completed between November 21-December 14, 2022 (PRRI, 2022). The PRRI survey has 6,212 responses from a random sample of adults in the United States (PRRI, 2022). Independent variables include measures of Christian nationalist ideology, dependent variables include measures of respondents’ opinions on immigration, LGBT+ individuals, and reproductive health, control variables include demographic and socioeconomic information. Those that responded in line with a Christian nationalist ideological mindset were most likely to live in the South, have a high school diploma, have part-time employment, be a registered Republican and be an evangelical Christian. It was found that those that responded that they agreed with Christian nationalist ideology reflecting a strong sentiment of concern about immigration among a significant portion of the population. It was also found that they have strong opinions about abortion care and are more moderate in their opinions about the rights of the LGBT+ community. It is important to note that people who ascribe to Christian nationalist ideology are not a monolith and there are variations in individual people’s thoughts. It is also important as social workers to respect the dignity and worth of all people
Joyce Lee, PhD (Committee Member)
Njeri Kagotho, PhD (Advisor)
84 p.
Political Science; Social Work; Sociology
Christian, Christian Nationalism, Christian Ideology, Christian Nationalist Ideology, Belongingness, Marginalized, Marginalized Groups, LGBT+, Religious Minorities, Abortion, Immigrant, Immigration

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Baldwin, M. (2025). The Impact of Christian Nationalist Ideology on the Belongingness of Marginalized Groups [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1744883001705442

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Baldwin, Meredith. The Impact of Christian Nationalist Ideology on the Belongingness of Marginalized Groups. 2025. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1744883001705442.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Baldwin, Meredith. "The Impact of Christian Nationalist Ideology on the Belongingness of Marginalized Groups." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2025. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1744883001705442

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.
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