Social-psychological aspects of religion and prejudice: Evidence from survey and experimental research

This chapter describes empirical work on the paradoxical association between religion and intolerance. It first provides a brief overview of seminal research that has formed the backbone of contemporary social psychological study of religion and prejudice. It then describes work on the relationship between religiosity and intolerance which conceptualized religion both as a `maker¿ and an `unmaker¿ of prejudice. Both large- and small-scale studies were conducted on contemporary religiosity and prejudice. The results from a cross-European nationally representative survey of `group-focused enmity¿ are presented, which examined religiosity as a predictor of modern prejudice. The chapter then turns to the `unmaking¿ of prejudice by religion, describing results from a line of experimental research on the anxiety-buffering, psychologically protective properties of religiosity. It concludes by reflecting on the significance religiosity continues to hold for contemporary intergroup relations.