Disappearing God Gap: Religion’s Role in the 2008 Presidential Elections and Beyond

Compared to recent presidential contests, religion played a fairly minor role in the 2008 election, trumped in large part by other pressing issues such as the economy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In a new book by religion and politics experts Corwin Smidt and Kevin den Dulk, The Disappearing God Gap? (Oxford University Press, 2010), the authors examined religion’s role in the 2008 presidential campaign.

On March 16, Brookings Senior Fellow William Galston moderated a discussion of the book’s key findings, based on data gleaned from a national survey conducted by the authors. Brookings Senior Fellow E.J. Dionne, Jr. offered his views on what the 2008 presidential election might teach us about religion’s role in the 2010 mid-term elections.

This event is part of the Governing Ideas series intended to broaden the discussion of governance issues through forums on timely and relevant books on history, culture, legal norms and practices, values and religion.

After the program, panelists took audience questions.