Inner-City Contexts, Church Attendance, and African-American Political Participation

In: The journal of politics: JOP, Volume 63, Issue 3, p. 886-901

Abstract

Over the years, an undeniable & convincing body of evidence has emphasized the importance of African American churches as conduits for political skills, resources, & mobilization. In this study, we examine the growing incidence of neighborhood poverty; never-married, parent households; & perceived social isolation to ascertain the extent to which they undermine church attendance & the associated benefits of increased political engagement, organizational membership, & voting. The major finding of this study is that the inner-city contexts in which African Americans reside matter for overall political behavior. However, these influences occur much more through the perception of social isolation & family structure than through neighborhood poverty. Moreover, while the results indicate that to an extent inner-city contexts do matter, they also reaffirm the continuing importance & durability of the African American church as a viable & politically relevant institution in beleaguered, inner-city communities. 1 Table, 2 Appendixes, 29 References. Adapted from the source document.