About My Work

My research examines how deeply held moral and religious commitments shape democratic life. I study how sacralized identities and beliefs structure political attitudes, rights claims, and perceptions of threat. Across survey experiments, survey data, and original measurement development, I investigate how these belief systems influence support for democratic norms, civil liberties, and social equality.

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A central focus of my work is understanding how identities develop and influence attitudes.  I show that when political beliefs are framed as divinely ordained or sacred, they take on a different character than standard ideological preferences. These commitments can reshape how individuals evaluate democratic principles, gender roles, minority rights, and political conflict. Taken together, my research offers a framework for understanding how sacralized identity commitments are reshaping contemporary democratic politics.