President Donald Trump and members of his administration have lengthy used allegations of anti-Christian discrimination as a rallying cry for supporters, arguing that insurance policies and legal guidelines on points like school prayer and LGBTQ+ rights threaten Christians’ right to specific their beliefs.
Weeks into his second time period, Trump took motion, signing an government order on “Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias.” The order vowed to “defend the spiritual freedoms of People and finish the anti-Christian weaponization of presidency” by figuring out anti-Christian conduct and recommending coverage adjustments. In mid-April, Secretary of State Marco Rubio instructed workers within the State Division to report any incidents of such bias that occurred throughout the Biden administration.
Many critics contest claims of widespread discrimination against Christians in U.S. society, on condition that Christians are the nation’s largest religion group and profit from related privileges. Contemplate how Christmas is acknowledged as a federal vacation, whereas different faiths’ main holidays aren’t.
As social psychologists, we were curious who claims of anti-Christian bias enchantment to, and how those claims are perceived.
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Our 2024 research, as well as other scholars’ work, suggests that individuals’s beliefs about anti-Christian discrimination are tied with their attitudes about race. These research counsel that when politicians discuss anti-Christian bias, it does greater than sign a priority and dedication to Christians – it could additionally function a sign of white solidarity.
A altering America
Despite the fact that they continue to be the most important spiritual and racial teams, white People and Christian People have each declined as a proportion of the U.S. inhabitants. Over the previous twenty years, the share of Christian Americans has decreased from 78% to 63%, and the share of white People has decreased from 69% to 60%. White Christians now account for less than 50% of the country.
Many students have argued that, on the root, some white and Christian People feel threatened by these demographic shifts. Rising secularization and other cultural changes have added to some white Christians’ sense that their identification is below assault. In accordance with FBI data, nonetheless, solely 3% of hate crimes over the previous 5 years focused Christians. Compared, 14% focused Jews, Muslims or Sikhs – teams that make up just 3% of the population.
The Public Religion Research Institute discovered that 55% of white People imagine discrimination in opposition to white folks is as a lot of an issue as discrimination in opposition to minority teams. In the meantime, 60% of white evangelicals say that Christians within the U.S. face discrimination.
In his executive order, Trump echoes these perceptions of menace, portray an image of embattlement for Christians.
The manager order offers examples of charges brought against Christian pro-life protesters and alleges that Democrats failed to answer attacks on churches. The manager order criticizes the Biden administration for insurance policies that it says “drive Christians to affirm radical transgender ideology in opposition to their religion,” together with for potential foster parents.
Testing views
Traditionally, white people and Christians had been typically handled because the quintessential People – which means race and faith are tightly related in U.S. tradition.
Sixty-two p.c of white American adults identify as Christian, and 61% of American Christians identify as white.

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In our 4 experiments, revealed in Psychological Science in March 2024, we examined these connections between views of race and faith, specializing in claims about anti-Christian bias.
First, in two on-line experiments of about 3,000 individuals, we randomly assigned white and Black Christians to considered one of 4 teams. One group didn’t learn something, whereas the opposite three had been every given a short blurb about discrimination. Every blurb summarized a unique group’s fears that bias in opposition to them was rising: white People, Black People and Christian People.
Afterward, we requested all of the individuals to evaluate how a lot bias they suppose these teams truly face. In comparison with white Christians who didn’t learn something, white Christians who learn the blurb about anti-Christian bias perceived better anti-white bias. Black Christians who learn the blurb about anti-Christian bias, nonetheless, didn’t understand better anti-white bias than Black Christians who didn’t learn something.
Thus, it seems that the white Christians mentally linked anti-Christian and anti-white bias.
In our different two experiments, we randomly assigned about 1,000 white and Black Christians to learn an interview excerpt from a fictional native politician who was requested about essentially the most urgent difficulty of their neighborhood. The politician both voiced concern about anti-Christian bias, anti-white bias, spiritual freedom or the economic system.

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Afterward, we requested individuals a number of questions concerning the politician, together with whether or not they thought this determine was liberal or conservative, and whether or not they thought this determine could be “involved about bias in opposition to white folks.” Black and white Christian respondents believed the politician who voiced concern about anti-Christian bias was additionally extra prone to battle for the rights of white folks, relative to the politician who mentioned the economic system.
We additionally requested individuals whether or not they discovered the politician’s interview offensive. Each Black and white Christians considered the message about anti-Christian bias as much less offensive than the message about anti-white bias.
Importantly, these results held no matter whether or not individuals believed the politician was conservative or liberal.
Taken collectively, these findings counsel that expressing concern for anti-Christian bias will be interpreted as signaling allegiance to white folks – with out the social value of being accused of racism. As an alternative, allegations of anti-Christian bias will be presented in a positive way as issues of “religious freedom,” a core American worth.
Whether or not deliberately or not, plainly rallying round anti-Christian bias can function a “dog whistle” signaling help for folks involved about adjustments in America’s racial make-up, as nicely.