Political and theological orientation as moderators for the association between religious attendance and attitudes toward gay marriage for white christians

This investigation adds to the growing body of scholarship on the influence of religion and politics on attitudes toward gay marriage. We used national random samples drawn from 2001 through 2008 (n = 6,212) to examine how religious attendance, theological orientation, and political orientation independently predict support for gay marriage, and how theological and political orientation moderate the association between religious attendance and support for gay marriage. Findings indicated that greater religious attendance, theological conservatism, and political conservatism predict less support for gay marriage. We also found that theological and political orientation moderated the association between religious attendance and support for gay marriage, with stronger associations present for theological and political conservatives than for theological and political liberals. These findings provide important insights into how religious and political variables work independently and interactively in predicting attitudes toward gay marriage.