Self-Labeling in Religion & Politics

The UCLA project on Spirituality in Higher Education released some new data from their research. They found that people on both sides of the political spectrum who hold the strongest views are apparently reluctant to call themselves either "conservative" or "liberal". According to their report, although more than half of the people with the most conservative views (Baptists, Mormons, Seventh-day Adventists, and evangelical Christians) hold views on social issues that clearly align with conservative politics, fewer than half identify themselves as "conservative". Similarly, more than half of the Buddhists, Jews, Quakers and Unitarians in their study hold liberal views on social issues, but do not identify themselves as politically "liberal".

The results lead me to wonder if it is a general reluctance for students to accept labels? Or perhaps a general disengagement with politics? It will be interesting to see what else comes from these data. Read the report for yourself for more info.