Protestant fundamentalsim, intolerance, and punitiveness

Sociological literature in the area of Protestant religions suggests that association with fundamentalist denominations increases criminal punitiveness. Previous research has, however, examined this relationship without accounting for the possible influence of intolerance. This is the first study of its kind to use a national level dataset to examine the relationship of Protestant fundamentalism to criminal punitiveness. Using data from the 1991 General Social Survey, this study introduces the variable intolerance into the relationship, which prior research has shown to be related to both Protestant fundamentalism and criminal punitiveness. Bivariate correlations and path analysis reveal that intolerance is a significant variable for explaining the relationship of Protestant fundamentalism to criminal punitiveness. This finding is consistent with both the hypotheses and with prior research.