Two-aspect nationalism theory explains RT-versus-CS shift as majority-status security drives in-group versus out-group focus

Evidence

This fits with Theiss-Morse’s “two-aspect” theory of national identity that describes the difference between in-group and out-group forms of nationalism (Theiss-Morse 2009). White Protestants relished building in-group solidarity (society-centric nationalism) when their majority status was secure; in this context they supported free religious competition and democratic values—core tenets of RT. But white Protestants shifted their focus to out-group boundary making (state-centric nationalism) when their majority status felt insecure; in this new context they now desire exclusive access to state power to protect their waning cultural influence—the core theme of CS. Because demographic and religious trends are shrinking the share of the public who are white conservative Protestants, we expect that feelings of embattlement and, accordingly, the popularity of CS will continue to grow. If so, traditional white Protestant commitments to democratic values, color-blind ideology, and free religious markets may be nearing an end. — Ruiqian Li and Paul Froese, The Duality of American Christian…, 229

Categorization

• XREF: Directly relevant to the reader’s testing question — this offers an intra-group mechanism (majority-status insecurity) distinguishing the two CN components rather than treating CN as a single conservative proxy. — connects to: Naming our own group patriotism and theirs nationalism enables violent in-group dynamics — Emanuele Castano, On the Perils of Glorifying the…, 91; White identity threats split between ingroup-centered decline and outgroup-centered power — Efrén Pérez, Jessica HyunJeong Lee, Ana Oaxaca, Tania Solano Cervantes, Jasmine García Rodríguez, Kimberly Lam, and David McFall, Manifold Threats to White Identity and…, 7; Group-status threat is the proposed causal mediator of shift-induced conservatism. — Maureen A. Craig and Jennifer A. Richeson, On the Precipice of a…, 22
• SEED: The prediction that CS support will grow as white Protestant share shrinks is a testable thesis, connecting perceived group threat to the rise of autocratic-inflected religion-as-state ideology.

Broader Connections

• Group-status threat is the proposed causal mediator of shift-induced conservatism. #expands (0.85) — Maureen A. Craig and Jennifer A. Richeson, On the Precipice of a…, 22
• White identity threats split between ingroup-centered decline and outgroup-centered power #exemplifies (0.82) — Efrén Pérez, Jessica HyunJeong Lee, Ana Oaxaca, Tania Solano Cervantes, Jasmine García Rodríguez, Kimberly Lam, and David McFall, Manifold Threats to White Identity and…, 7