
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, January 15, 1994                   TAG: 9403020234
SECTION: RELIGION                    PAGE: C9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Thomas. B. Edsall The Washingtoin Post
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

RELIGION PLAYING A BIGGER ROLE IN POLITICS, STUDIES SHOW

Religion has become a powerful predictor of both political partisanship and ideology, playing a role similar to that of race or income, according to a number of studies.

Among white voters who are members of Christian denominations, the Republican Party is increasingly becoming the home of regular churchgoers who hold strong religious beliefs, David C. Leege, professor of government and international studies at the University of Notre Dame, found in an extensive analysis of polling data. White voters who attend church irregularly or identify themselves as non-religious are more likely to be Democrats, Leege found.

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