Religiosity

[Page 703]Religiosity is an attribute of either a person or group of persons. The concept is used to describe religious characteristics commonly thought of in terms of the three Bs: belonging, belief, and behavior. Belonging refers to the denominational choice of a person or the distribution of such choices among a population. Belief refers to specific opinions about religious questions. Behavior speaks to specific actions a person takes that are religious in nature. Religiosity can be conceptualized and measured in a variety of ways, and it is particularly relevant to political behavior as more and more evidence points to a connection between the two. This entry briefly introduces religiosity research as it relates to political behavior. The entry concludes with discussion of the current direction ...