LDS POLITICAL IDENTITY

Of my hundreds of LDS friends, only one of them is a Democrat.  Although I cannot use this as a credible statistic, I can confidently declare that, yes, there is a distinct LDS political identity here in the United States. In class, we define identity as, “The ways that individuals categorize themselves, with a resulting feeling of close emotional association (Hawkins, 2012).” Political identity roots from many factors.  Identity becomes politicized when a substantial amount of people organize themselves to advance interests of or defend perceived threats to their identity groups.   Both, how we fit in and how others’ perceive us fitting in make up our political identity (Samuels, 2012).   Having a Mormon presidential candidate in the running this year has put the Church in a unique spot light.  Members of the Church have come to organize themselves to “advance interests and defend perceived threats” to their identity.  Due to the current widespread interest of Mormonism, many believers have been forced to defend their religion or be humiliated by the political and often personal jabs at the Church.  A majority of Latter-Day Saints credit much of their identity to being members of the Church.  One example of how the Saints show this LDS identity is the thousands of “I Am a Mormon” ads populating websites, billboards, and social networks from members all over the world.  People are athletes, mothers, fashion designers, professional vocal artists, renowned scientists, and all of them proudly claim identity as being Mormon.  Because religion is such a personal and constant commitment, Mormons find an emotional connection amongst each other. These factors provide the right ingredients for an LDS political identity to surface.

            Utah is the Mecca of Mormonism.  Generally speaking, most members of the Church are fairly conservative.  It is to no surprise to find that most Utahans are republican.  Needless to say, Mitt Romney has safely secured the state of Utah in this election.  This year’s presidential election has been a monumental one for the Church because of this concept of religion.   As a member of the LDS Church, one is not expected nor encouraged to vote one way or another; we are just encouraged to vote.  However, religion, particularly this religion, permeates the identities of most of its active members.  Members are raised or cultured to live in a way that would align their values and beliefs with their actions and therefore, most have similar political views.  Primordialism and constructivism are two main approaches to better understanding political identity.  Primordialism stems off this basis that identities are formed very early on in life while constructivism suggests identities are malleable and anything can become politicized (Hawkins, 2012). 

The LDS political identity can touch base with both of these approaches.  However, I see the LDS political identity more from a primordialist standpoint.  Many individuals are born into strongly rooted LDS families where the guidelines of the Church have structured many things, including political values.   Most aspects of life have been centered around the standards and guidelines of the Church.  Because of these shared values and perspectives, political views are similar as well.  Primordialism suggests political identity to be something “you are either born with or that emerges unconsciously during childhood, given your family and community context (Samuels, 2012).”  The religion directly influences the family and community many members are born into which reflects the political identity now.  This is evident by the fact that Utah is not a swing state.  One candidate, usually republican or more conservative, takes the state by a large majority.  Many members cling to their religious and political identities early on in life.  Likewise, many members feel a “deep emotional/psychological attachment” toward individuals or a community.  Look at the affect Mitt Romney, a Mormon presidential candidate, has had on members of the Church.  According to Utah Data Points, “68% of all Utah voters said that they think Romney’s candidacy is a good thing for the LDS Church. When looking at Mormon voters only, that number jumps to 79%...it is not surprising that Mormons who share political views with Romney consider his effect on the Church positive.” Even the Utah Democrats, who are known to strongly refute Republican policies, view Mitt Romney approvingly.  “While 23% of all Utah Democrats view Governor Romney favorably, that proportion goes up to 42% when looking only at Mormon Democrats (Monson, 2012).”  These statistics verify the positive correlation between LDS identity and political identity.

Sources: 

Hawkins, Kirk. “Class Lecture”, Plsci 150. BYU 10/10

Monson, Q. (2012, 08 22). Do lds dems like mitt romney?. Retrieved from http://utahdatapoints.com/

Samuels, David J. Comparative Politics. Pearson: Boston, 2013.