Worldview of Latino Christian Nationalists: Tendencies Toward Political Violence and Trump Support

Christian nationalism is emerging as a demographic profile in the U.S. that, according to a new PRRI study, groups around 30% of the country's population, a significant amount of Latinos among them.

The group is comprised by people from all ethnicities and has been described by PRRI's president and founder, Robert P. Jones, as one that holds an "anti-democratic worldview that has been with us since the founding of our country — the idea that America was designated by God to be a Christian country where white Christians occupy the highest positions of power and laws are judged to be valid based on their particular interpretation of the Bible."

The study examined how religion, party, education, race, and other factors intersect with Christian nationalist views, showing a propension to support the Republican Party, Donald Trump and political violence.

Overall, three in ten Americans qualify as Christian Nationalist Adherents (10%) or Sympathizers (20%), according to the PRRI study. The figure stands in contrast with 37% of skeptics and 30% of rejecters.

In terms of ethnicity, the study showed little variation across groups consulted. 20% of Latino respondents considered themselves sympathizers, while 9% were adherents. The figure was quite similar to Whites (20% of sympathizers, 10% of adherents) and Blacks (21% sympathizers, 12% adherents). "The only racial group whose members are significantly less likely to do so is Asian American and Pacific Islanders (12% Sympathizers, 5% Adherents)," according to PRRI.

The amount of people from each group and their stances towards this haven't changed much over the past year among almost all religious group but one, the study added. Support for Christian nationalism among Latino protestants has grown by 12 percentage points to 55% from late 2022. In contrast, only 25% of Latino Catholics can be considered Christian nationalists.

"Only about one in ten members of other non-Christian religions (12%), Jewish Americans (8%), and the religiously unaffiliated (7%) qualify as Christian nationalists," the study added.

In terms of geographical location, the study showed that "states with the highest levels of support for Christian nationalism form a horseshoe shape, starting in the upper Midwest, dipping down into the deep South, and then moving up again through the Appalachian Mountains."

The way states voted recently is also an indicator. "Nearly four in ten residents of red states are Christian nationalists (14% Adherents and 24% Sympathizers)," the survey shows. This compares to 22% in Blue states. The picture in seven battleground states resembles the national average: 10% of adherents and 19% of sympathizers.

Support for the Republican party is also a powerful hint, as 55% of them hold Christian nationalist views, compared to 16% of Democrats and 25% of independents. And, within the Republican Party, having voted for Donald Trump in the 2020 elections is another factor.

"Nearly seven in ten white Christian nationalists (71%) and a majority of Hispanic Christian nationalists (51%) hold favorable views of Trump," the study said. It was not the case for Black Americans, most of whom did not hold a favorable view of Trump.

Finally, the report delved into whether respondents believed that political violence may be justified. Results showed that Christian nationalists are about twice as likely as others to agree with that premise.

"Nearly four in ten Christian nationalism Adherents (38%) and one-third of Sympathizers (33%) agree that "because things have gotten so far off track, true American patriots may have to resort to violence to save the country," compared with only 17% of Skeptics and 7% of Rejecters."

Along that line, a majority (54%) agreed that "there is a storm coming soon that will sweep away the elites in power and restore the rightful leaders," compared with only 22% of Skeptics and 7% of Rejecters.

"This survey illustrates how strongly this dangerous political theology is driving support for Donald Trump and the MAGA movement and how thoroughly it has established itself as an ideological keystone in today's Republican Party," concluded PRRI's Robert P. Jones.