Does religion explain political attitudes?

Religion has long been seen as an element that explains individuals’ relationship to politics. After recalling this research tradition, this article presents the comparative analysis carried out for eight European Union countries (using ISSP survey data from 2004 and 2014) to test the effect of a Catholic or Protestant affiliation, but also the effect of integration—or not—into a religion, on individuals’ relationship to politics. Political involvement and orientation prove to always be dependent on religious positioning, according to a pattern that goes beyond national political cultures, though these effects seem to be diminishing.