This study investigates the extent to which religious affiliation and practice function as primary determinants in American presidential voting behavior. Paul Lopatto utilizes quantitative analysis of electoral data to examine the correlation between religious identity and partisan support. By evaluating the political landscape from 1960 to 1980, the author constructs a framework to explain the mechanisms through which religious belief influences individual voter choice and broader electoral outcomes.

Experts recognize this work as a focused examination of the mid-20th-century intersection of faith and the ballot box. Readers often note the specific historical utility of the text for understanding the shifting political coalitions of the post-war era.