Biblical Literalism and Political Conservatism

Years ago, I posted a few thoughts on the rough shape of the Bible Belt in modern America.  I'd like to update those those just a bit relative to the 2012 election.  Here is the map based on the same Pew data as before:

As before, I've removed (grayed out) the bits of CONUS in which scriptural literalism falls below the 30% threshold.  What is left is what I would call the 'Bible Belt' based on relevant data from social scientists. 

Now, take a hard look at this map. Are any states which the incumbent President can reasonably expect to win in November which fall inside of the Bible Belt as I've defined it here? The answer depends on which polls you're tracking and what day or the week it is, but it's basically down to Virginia, Ohio, and maybe Florida, and each of these is pretty much a toss-up.  Every other Bible Belt state (and a few extras) are firmly in the GOP camp, while most of the Northeast, West Coast, and Great Lakes states are as firmly in the other column.

The conclusion is ineluctable and disturbing: The political lines dividing our country are not merely a function of demography and political ideology, but also a matter of how one approaches religious faith. Generally speaking, the more likely one is to accept the Bible as literally true, word for word, the more likely one is to vote Republican.  I'd be interested in hearing any theories as to why this might be so.

Bible Belt Redux

UIUC’s electoral projections map fairly nicely onto my Bible Belt map from awhile back.  Coincidence? 

Bible Belt Discover Between NE, SW

Turns out (against conventional wisdom) that the belt runs roughly from the SE tip of Florida to the NW tip of Idaho. Here is the map of those states where at least one in three Americans take their scriptures very literally:


Percentage of population that view scripture as the
Word of God literally true word for word.
Good news for Okies - we aren't the buckle after all! If the data from the Pew Forum's new Religious Landscape Survey are to be trusted (and I'm none too skeptical for once) that dubious distinction goes to to the Old South, both geographically and in terms of raw data.

Note that if you mentally block out the mustard-coloured states, you still get a contiguous belt centered upon Dixie, but aligned roughly east-to-west. That would be, I suppose, the traditional (fuzzy) conception of the proverbial belt. It is this inner-belt which votes most reliably in favor of the GOP, and which borders upon such key swing states as Florida, Ohio, Missouri, and Colorado, where a slim majority of citizens have not yet drunk the Kool-Aid.