Blog 5 Post

I believe that there is there a distinct LDS political identity in the United States.  It is important to first understand what identity is, “the way individuals categorize themselves, with a resulting feeling of close emotional association.” (Hawkins)  Looking closer at identity, it is clear that there is a clear identity in Utah.  A survey taken from Utah Data Points provided these findings, “while 23% of all Utah Democrats view Governor Romney favorable, that proportion goes up to 42% when looking only at Mormon Democrats.” (Monson) These findings support the characteristics of identity, the subset of culture, as well as loyalty. The Utah culture is characterized by its strong Mormon roots, as we see driving down a single street flocked with several LDS church buildings, to the amount of businesses closed on Sunday in order to keep the Sabbath day holy.  This study also shows a strong sense of loyalty, with the percentage Mormon democrats in finding Romney favorable 19% higher, which could be attributed to a feeling of emotional association tied to religion.

 In class political identity was defined as, “any identity that significantly shapes our political decisions, especially when it is the most important identity to do so.” (Hawkins) A great example of this was found in our class lecture.  The question of political preference was asked.  When those identifying themselves as Democrats were asked to raise their hands, only a few hands went up.  Professor Hawkins encouraged those who were possibly reluctant because of their political affiliation in a room full predominately Mormon Republicans to raise their hands. After this remark was made, no more hands joined the few hands that were previously raised. (Hawkins) Here at BYU, I think it is safe to say that we have a LDS identity.  In a class of 178 students (Course Catalog Information) with 5 students or less who raised their hands in support of the Democrat Party, speaks volumes to the political identity that exists in the LDS culture.

Another example that supports this notion, are those currently in office as Governors, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the U.S. Senate, who are LDS.  In these three offices, there are a total of 17 members of the church, of these 17 members only 5 belong to the Democrat party. (Latter Day Saints in politics)   71% of these individuals belong to the Republican Party, which helps to further show the correlation between religion and political affiliation. Members of these offices are located throughout the United States, displaying a strong connection that there is a distinct LDS political identity within the United States.

The primordialist theory states, “that identities are something people are born with or that emerge through deep psychological processes in early childhood, given one’s family and community context.” (Samuels)  I believe this theory supports political identity the best.  I believe that Political identity is something that is inherited, and learned through sources that are around the individual on an everyday basis. I think these identities are certainly shaped and influenced by our culture, and the identity groups that we associate with. The constructivism theory states, “political identities are malleable, even if they often appear to be primordial, and suggests that we think of identity as an evolving political process rather than as a fixed set of identity categories.”(Samuels) I think that we all make choices based on our personal preferences, and as we learn and obtain new information, as this theory states; however, I think our preferences are inherited early on in our development.  

 

 

Elder Jensen, a member of the LDS church said that it would be, “very healthy for the church -- if the common misconception that one cannot be a good Mormon and a Democrat could be obliterated." (Harrie) This statement supports the notion that there is an explicit political identity tied with the LDS community.  A prominent member of the church had to publicly announce that there is in fact a misconception within the church about those belonging to the Democrat party, and this misconception needs to be done away with. Thus shows that there is a distinct LDS political identity in the United States.

 

SOURCES

Dan Harrie, "LDS Official Calls for More Political Diversity," Salt Lake Tribune, 3 May 1998.

Hawkins, Kirk. "Culture." Class Lecture. BYU. Brigham Young University, Provo. 10 Oct 2012. Address.

"Latter Day Saints in Politics." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2012. Print. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latter_Day_Saints>.

Monson, Quin. "Do LDS Democrats like Mitt Romeny." Utah Data Points. WordPress, 22 08 2012. Web. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. <http://utahdatapoints.com/2012/08/do-lds-dems-like-mitt-romney/>.

"MyMap: Academic Planning." Course Catalog Information. Brigham Young University, 10 October 2012. Web. 10 Oct 2012. <https://gamma.byu.edu/ry/ae/prod/registration

Samuels, David. Comparative Politics. 1.1. Minneapolis: Pearson 2013. 52. Print