Religion, Political Preferences, and Protest Action in Central America: Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala

Abstract

Empirically examines the impact of religion on unconventional political participation in Central America, assesses how the extent of that impact is conditioned by differing sociopolitical contexts, & compares attitudes of parish priests & the laity toward political protest. Data were obtained from mass surveys (identical questionnaires) undertaken in 1991-1992 in Nicaragua, El Salvador, & Guatemala, as well as interviews carried out in 1993-1994 with 142 Nicaraguan Catholic priests. The findings affirmed that religion has an impact on protest politics, & the results of multivariate analysis indicated that religious factors were much stronger determinants of variations in support for protest than psychological or demographic factors, & second to political factors like ideology. However, the absence of certain religious attitudes/practices, such as doctrinal rigidity & frequent church attendance, were the strongest predictors of approval for unconventional participation, suggesting the influence of the progressive church is more limited than generally thought. Differences between priests' & the general public's attitudes toward protest politics were too general to be analytically significant. 6 Tables, 5 Figures, 81 References. J. Lindroth