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Scholars Symposium 2023: History & Government

To advocate and advance the scholarly work of students and faculty at Cedarville University

History & Government

The Impact of Intergroup Contact on Evangelical Attitudes toward Catholicism

by Thomas E. A. Avery (Undergraduate), Christian R. Dupuy (Undergraduate), and Jared W. Jemas (Undergraduate)

While positive evangelical Protestant attitudes toward Catholicism have increased over the last century, opinion is still mixed. This study seeks to discover whether intergroup contact between these two Christian bodies is correlated with higher evangelical favorability of Catholicism. Intergroup contact and exposure have been shown to positively correlate with decreased prejudice and increased favorability between racial and religious groups. To test whether this trend extends to evangelical attitudes toward Catholicism, we will survey a sample of evangelicals drawn from Cedarville University students. The findings will shed light on how evangelical opinion of Catholicism can be improved to foster further ecumenical dialogue and cooperation.