Blog 5

Jonathan Dibble

Pol Sc 150

Prof. Hawkins

Blog 5: Political Identity

                A bumper sticker once said, “I’m Voting for Obama and I’m a Mormon.” What is significant about this statement?  It almost seems to be implying that this person’s political views run contrary to a “Mormon standard”. This begs the question, does there exist a unique and distinct Mormon political identity here in the United States?

Keep in mind, an identity is the way people categorize themselves and is accompanied by a strong feeling of loyalty. In Utah, for example, many people identify themselves as either BYU or U of U fans. The rivalry between them and the shared feelings of loyalty to that identity are rather strong.  A political identity, however, is when an identity and the views or ideals associated with it are prominent enough to shape one’s political decisions. Has there developed such a political identity among Mormons due to their membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints? Can we then infer that constructivism rather than primordialist provides a better argument for the presence of this political identity?

Around the world, there are a total of 14,441,346 members belonging to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ("Facts and Statistics: Utah" 2012). 1,936,074 of those members, which equivalates to roughly 13.4 % of total church membership, resides in Utah alone ("Facts and Statistics: Utah" 2012). Additionally, according to the 2011 Census, there resides a total population of 2,817,222 in Utah ("State and County Quickfacts: Utah" 2012). Thus, in Utah alone, 68.7% percent of its population are Mormons. With such a high density of church members living within Utah, it will be a starting point to argue that although some members of the church have differing political views, there does exist a distinct LDS political identity here in the United States.

               

This year’s election provides a good opportunity to look into the differing political identities present in the United States and whether an LDS political identity is among them. When asked whether Governor Romney’s candidacy was a good or bad thing, 77.4% of a sample of 500 Mormons that are registered voters in Utah responded that it was a good thing (Patterson 2012). 54% of the Mormon democrats also felt that his candidacy was a good thing (Patterson 2012). It is important to note that of the sample taken, 284 of the Mormons surveyed turned out to be Republican and only 28 were Democrats. It is clearly apparent that a strong majority of Mormons do identify on a similar basis.

               

The above survey was taken from the Key Research Utah Statewide Voter Survey. As expected, 68% of those surveyed were Mormon and 64% of those surveyed identified themselves as either a strong Republican, not so strong Republican, or Independent leaning Republican ("Key Research Utah Statewide Voter Survey" 2012).

 Another highly politicized issue regarding gay marriages was also a part of this telephone survey.  79% percent of respondents felt that gay couples should not be allowed to marry legally ("Key Research Utah Statewide Voter Survey" 2012). Although The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints remains politically neutral and favors neither political party, its values do support specific issues. For example, Mormons strongly believe that, “marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God ("Family: A Proclamation to the World" 2012).” Such values inherently create an LDS political identity among Mormons themselves regarding certain issues, as is so strongly stated within this proclamation and portrayed in the survey.

               

An LDS political identity can exist that still allows Mormons to belong to differing political parties. It is possible that neither political party fully represents the values shared by Mormons. This may explain the discrepancy between voting preferences among Mormons. When faced with more specific issues, like that of gay marriage, that discrepancy diminishes. 

               

This LDS political identity was especially observed when Mormons directly involved themselves in fighting to pass California’s Proposition 8. About half of the 40 million dollars raised in support of this proposition was estimated to have been raised and contributed by Mormons ( McKinley, Jesse 2008). An official statement issued by the presiding leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to its members stated:

“We ask that you do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by

donating of your means and time to assure that marriage in California is legally defined

as being between a man and a woman. Our best efforts are required to preserve the

                sacred institution of marriage (First Presidency 2008).”

Here an official statement was made that reflected the political involvement Mormons as a whole were to take regarding gay marriage. In this instance, a distinct LDS political identity is explicitly seen as Mormons are encouraged to rally together and vote in favor of Proposition 8.

Much of this LDS political identity is rooted within the values of its members. Upon membership of the church, new values, ideas, beliefs, and behaviors are inculcated into their lives. Strong commitments are made to live and stand for these principles. In fact, many Mormons prior to membership may have identified themselves very differently. This would be hard for a primordialist to explain. The LDS political identity that exists within the United States is one such example in support of constructivism. Thus, our identities can be constructed within our social context and are always changing. While some part of one’s identity may be inherent in our nature, many of our political identities are shaped and evolve from our choices and interactions within our social context.

Sources

United States Census Bureau, "State and County Quickfacts: Utah." Last modified 2012. Accessed October 12, 2012. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/49000.html.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, "Facts and Statistics: Utah." Last modified 2012. Accessed October 12, 2012. http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/facts-and-statistics/country/united-states/state/utah.

Patterson, Kelly. "What do Mormons think about Governor Romney’s candidacy?." Utah Data Points (blog), June 25, 2012. http://utahdatapoints.com/ (accessed October 12, 2012).

Patterson, Kelly. "Who thinks Governor Romney’s candidacy is good for the LDS Church?." Utah Data Points (blog), August 2, 2012. http://utahdatapoints.com/ (accessed October 12, 2012).

Key Research Solutions, "Key Research Utah Statewide Voter Survey." Last modified 2012. Accessed October 12, 2012. http://utahdatapoints.com/abrown/utahdatapoints/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Utah-Statewide-2012-Q2-Topline-and-Methodology.pdf.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, "The Family: A Proclamation to the World." Last modified 2012. Accessed October 12, 2012. http://www.lds.org/topics/family-proclamation?lang=eng.

McKinley, Jesse "Mormons Tipped Scale in Ban on Gay Marriage." New York TImes, November 14, 2008. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/15/us/politics/15marriage.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 (accessed October 12, 2012).

First Presidency. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, "California and Same-Sex Marriage." Last modified 2008. Accessed October 12, 2012. http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/california-and-same-sex-marriage.