Partisanship, Not Faith, Aligns White Evangelical and Catholic Immigration Stances, Study Shows

Recent analysis by political scientist Ryan Burge reveals that political partisanship, rather than religious affiliation, is the primary driver of immigration views among white evangelicals and white Catholics in the United States. Burge challenged prevailing assumptions, stating in a recent social media post, > "I know there's been a lot of discussion recently about how the American Catholic Church is more pro-immigrant than other Christian groups. What's the difference in how white evangelicals and white Catholics view immigration? Once you control for partisanship -- nothing."

Conventional wisdom often suggests a significant divergence, with the American Catholic Church, through official bodies like the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and papal pronouncements, frequently advocating for more inclusive immigration policies. This has fostered a public perception that Catholics are inherently more sympathetic to immigrants than other Christian demographics, particularly white evangelicals. However, Burge's research indicates that this perceived gap largely disappears when political loyalties are factored into the equation.

Burge's findings, derived from the 2024 Cooperative Election Study, examined attitudes across various immigration policy questions, including support for a border wall, the Dream Act, increased border patrol, and pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. Initially, data showed white evangelicals to be more conservative, with 82% favoring a border wall compared to 67% of white Catholics. Similarly, on the Dream Act, 54% of white evangelicals supported it versus 62% of white Catholics, indicating some initial differences.

The critical shift in understanding occurred when Burge isolated the impact of partisanship, specifically by analyzing Republicans within both religious groups. Among white evangelical Republicans and white Catholic Republicans, support for building a border wall was nearly identical, at 94% and 92% respectively. Moreover, views on the Dream Act and increased border enforcement were found to be "essentially identical" between these partisan segments, with 46% of both groups supporting the Dream Act.

This compelling evidence suggests that political identity frequently supersedes religious affiliation in shaping opinions on complex issues such as immigration. Burge underscores this by asserting that "politics is the master identity," and for many policy areas, including immigration and gun control, public opinion is "almost entirely driven by partisanship." While religious commitment retains significant influence on a few specific issues, such as abortion, its impact on immigration stances largely diminishes once political party affiliation is considered.