Perceptions of Religious Discrimination Among U.S. Scientists

Academic scientists in the United States are relatively nonreligious, at least compared to the general population, and some evidence suggests that the professional culture of academic science may foster perceptions of discrimination among scientists who are religious. We examine perceptions of religious discrimination among biologists and physicists in the United States. The analysis shows that Protestant, Muslim, and adherents of “other” traditions report higher rates of religious discrimination in both biology and physics relative to those who do not identify with a religion. Jewish and Catholic adherents report higher rates of discrimination in biology but not in physics. Most of the religious identity effects among biologists are not explained away by measures of beliefs, practices, or professional and demographic characteristics. On the other hand, religious identity differences in perceptions of religious discrimination among physicists are mediated by measures of religious practice. On the whole, these findings suggest that religious identity itself is more stigmatized in biology than in physics. Results have implications for how university professors—and academic scientists in particular—relate to the broader public.     

Perceptions of Anti-Catholic Bias and Political Party Identification Among U.S. Catholics

Recent controversies in the news over anti-Catholicism alleged by elites on both the left and the right raise the question of how perceptions of religious prejudice relate to political preferences among Catholics. Using survey data on 746 self-identified adult Catholics, we examine the extent to which they perceive anti-Catholic bias and how those perceptions are related to political party identification. Catholics were asked whether they think there is a general anti-Catholic bias in the United States and whether each of seven sociopolitical groups is "hostile,""friendly," or "neutral" toward Catholics. The likelihood of perceiving a general anti-Catholic bias in the United States and anti-Catholic hostility from liberal sociopolitical groups increases with more frequent Mass attendance. The likelihood of perceiving hostility from conservative groups is unrelated to attendance. While the perception of a general anti-Catholic bias in the United States does not predict political party identification, perceptions of hostility from liberal groups tend to predict Republican identification, and perceptions of hostility from conservative groups tend to predict Democratic identification. Though perceived hostility from liberal groups has a stronger effect on party identification, we conclude that perceptions of anti-Catholic prejudice are related to the politics of some Catholics on both the left and the right.     

Condom Use Among U.S. Students: The Importance of Confidence in Normative and Attitudinal Perceptions

Abstract

The author performed a study among U.S. undergraduates to test an earlier conclusion (D. Trafimow, 1994) that confidence in the correctness of one's perceptions of normative pressure to use a condom influences the correspondence between those perceptions and the intentions actually to perform the behavior. Consistent with previous findings (Trafimow), the participants' perceptions of normative pressure strongly predicted their intentions to use condoms only under conditions of extreme normative confidence. Otherwise, their attitudes were better predictors of their intentions to use condoms. In addition, 2 other variables (attitudinal confidence and perceived behavioral control) were found to be unimportant predictors of intentions. Results of a 2nd study suggest that behaviors performed by sexual partners and knowing the sexual partners affected the participants' normative confidence.     

Procedural Perceptions and Support for the U.S. Supreme Court

This paper examines public support toward the U.S. Supreme Court. Although previous scholars have rightly focused on policy outcomes in explaining public attitudes toward the Court, outcome‐based theories are unable to explain why support for the Court remains high despite public disagreement with Court decisions. Some scholars argue the low visibility of the Court shields it from public scrutiny. The exposure explanation, however, is inconsistent with the empirical finding that to know the Court is to love it. This paper reconciles these differences by showing how media coverage of the Court can influence procedural perceptions and subsequent support for the Court. Expanding on recent studies examining media coverage of the Court and perceptions of fairness, this study examines how procedural perceptions mediate support for the Court. An experimental design shows that the media's portrayal of procedural information as either fair or unfair influences public evaluations of procedural fairness and subsequently support for the Court as an institution and the individual justices serving on the Court's bench.     

Intellectual property and biotechnology: the U.S. internal experience--Part II

Continuing the discussion begun in the March 2006 issue of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, this paper further documents the failure of the United States to adequately consider possible modifications in the traditional robust system of intellectual property rights as applied to biotechnology. It discusses concrete suggestions for alternative disclosure requirements, for exemptions for research tools, and for improved access to clinical advances. In each of these cases, the modifications might be more responsive to the full set of relevant values.     

Intellectual property and biotechnology: the U.S. internal experience--Part I

In the development of biotechnology in the United States, many questions were raised about the appropriateness of applying to this area a traditional robust system of intellectual property rights. Despite these hesitations, the U.S. rejected suggested modifications. This was a mistake, and there is a need to develop a modified system that promotes more of the relevant ethical values.     

上帝与死囚:基督教视野中的美国死刑问题

死刑与宗教的互动从未停歇。作为大多数美国人信仰的基督教虽然面临着包括价值日趋多元、教义与当代科技日趋脱节、信众流失等诸多挑战,但其仍然在美国社会的各个方面扮演着十分重要的作用。而作为西方所谓民主国家当中唯一没有废除死刑的国家,美国国内目前围绕死刑存废以及死刑的具体执行过程中产生相关问题的争论需要在宗教,特别是在基督教的视野中加以解读。而这种基督教语境中的死刑问题研究将会从文化层面剥离与解析美国死刑的发展脉络、主要问题与未来的发展趋势。     

Current State of Foreign Language Instruction in U.S. K-12 Christian Schools

Abstract

This study surveyed heads of schools of U.S. K-12 Christian Schools concerning foreign language instruction in the 2016–2017 school year. The purpose was to determine 1) the number of schools that offered foreign language instruction, 2) the languages those schools offered, 3) the grade levels in the elementary and middle schools in which languages were offered, 4) the language course levels offered in high schools, and 5) whether the foreign language curriculum was sequenced between elementary and middle school, and between middle and high school. The results of the present study were compared with the results from a similar study done by the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) of foreign languages offered in K-12 schools nationwide.     

Italian,Bulgarian, and U.S. Children's Perceptions of Gender-Appropriateness of Occupations

Abstract

A stratified sample of 238 female business graduates in Singapore provided the data for this study. Twelve external barriers (including family-related and work/organization-related barriers) were included as predictor variables and their relations with the career success of women graduates were explored. The results showed external barriers to be important predictors of women's career success. Because the sample involved respondents at different stages of career development, the study also provided an understanding about how various external barriers interacted to impede the career development of women.     

Detecting Potential Underreporting of Suicide Ideation Among U.S. Military Personnel

Using a military sample comprised largely of National Guard personnel, zero‐inflation negative binomial regression was applied to estimate the effects of indirect, nonface valid indicators of suicide ideation [Thwarted Belongingness (TB), Perceived Burdensomeness (PB), and Hopelessness], in predicting suicide ideation. Data from a sample of 497 military personnel (82.1% male; m_age = 27.24; range = 18–59) were analyzed. TB and the interaction of TB with Hopelessness were significant predictors in the logistic regression, and in the negative binomial regression, the main effects of TB and hopelessness, and the interactions of TB with hopelessness and PB with hopelessness were significant. The findings further indicated that approximately 10% of those not reporting ideation would be predicted to be ideators. Clinically, these results indicate that, in samples reluctant to report ideation, the assessment of suicide risk may improve through the use of relevant measures that do not explicitly reference suicide thoughts.     

Characteristics and Correlates of Cigarette Use Among Recent U.S. Veterans

Little is known about the smoking habits and cessation efforts of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, many of whom will seek health care services in the public sector. This project documents rates of smoking and quit attempts among veterans receiving Veteran's Health Administration (VHA) health care and describes the relationship between current smoking use/cessation and demographic characteristics, quality of life, and potential alcohol misuse.

A large representative sample of Iraq/Afghanistan era veterans was surveyed using the VA Survey of Healthcare Experiences of Patients (Wright, Craig, Campbell, Schafer, &; Humble, 2006 Wright, S. M., Craig, T., Campbell, S., Schaefer, J. and Humble, C. 2006. Patient satisfaction of female and male users of Veterans Health Administration services. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 21(Suppl. 3): S26–S32. [Crossref], [PubMed] , [Google Scholar]). One third of respondents reported smoking during the past year and 24% reported currently smoking. Current smoking status was more prevalent among those who reported less education and lower household income. Current smoking status was also related to lower mental and physical health quality of life and higher potential alcohol misuse scores. Quit attempts were significantly less common among reserve component veterans and quitters reported higher incomes and were slightly older. The frequency of cigarette smoking among recent veterans underscores the importance of addressing smoking cessation efforts within this population. Individual characteristics associated with current smoking, cessation efforts, and relapse may help tailor cessation treatment for this growing cohort of new veterans.     

Weight Stigmatization Moderates the Effects of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage-Related PSAs Among U.S. Parents

Research indicates that media campaigns targeting weight-related behaviors can make overweight individuals feel stigmatized and may create backlash effects in weight-related health behavior. Using weight-based identity threat theory as a guiding framework, this study investigates the role of prior weight stigmatization in adults’ reactions to public service advertisements (PSAs) encouraging sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) reduction. In an online survey experiment among 807 U.S. parents, participants were randomly assigned to view anti-SSB PSAs containing one of three persuasive appeals (fear, humor, or nurturance). Emotional responses, evaluation of argument strength, and intention to reduce SSB consumption were measured following PSA exposure. Non-stigmatized parents felt less empowerment and hope and perceived weaker arguments if they viewed humorous PSAs instead of fear-based PSAs. Argument strength and empowerment or hopeful emotions predicted increased intention to reduce SSB consumption, regardless of whether participants had been stigmatized. There was weak support for the moderation of emotional responses on intentions by stigmatization history such that negative emotions were associated with lower SSB-reduction intentions only among stigmatized participants. Experiences of stigmatization can shape audiences’ responses to health-related messages in unintended ways. The findings suggest that campaign designers should choose empowering messages with strong arguments and avoid evoking negative emotions.     

Firearm Storage Practices and Risk Perceptions Among a Nationally Representative Sample of U.S. Veterans With and Without Self‐Harm Risk Factors

Despite the disproportionate use of firearms in Veteran suicides and the well‐established link between firearm access and suicide, little is known about how Veterans store their firearms or what they think about the relationship between firearm access and suicide risk. Using data from 2015 nationally representative online survey (response rate 60.9%), we compare characteristics of Veteran firearm owners with and without self‐harm risk factors with respect to how they store their firearms and their beliefs about suicide risk related to firearms. Overall, one in three U.S. Veteran firearm owners store household firearms loaded and unlocked, one in twenty believe that a firearm increases household suicide risk, and one in four consider their loaded and unlocked firearm to be inaccessible to suicidal household members. Storage practices and risk perceptions are similar among those with and without self‐reported suicide risk factors. Affecting risk perceptions may be a critical aspect of interventions addressing lethal means safety among U.S. Veterans.     

美国华人基督教会研究:以大波士顿地区为例

美国华人基督教的历史与华人移民美国的历史几乎一样长。大波士顿地区的华人基督徒出现较早,但华人基督教会直到1946年才出现。该地区现有华人基督教会近30家,信徒5000多人,约占当地华人总人口的5%。华人新移民加入基督教会的主要原因有:近代以来中国社会和文化变迁;寻求族群归属和文化认同;寻求物质与精神帮助;华人教会的主动宣传。华人基督教会的特点有:组织独立,神学保守;华人新移民是华人基督教会的生力军;普通话、英语和粤语三种语言并存;尽量少谈或不谈政治。华人基督教会的功能有:解决华人信仰问题;团结华人;服务华人,教育华人,帮助华人新移民融入美国社会,同时保持中国传统文化。华人基督教会是华人社团的重要组成部分,与华文报刊和中文学校一起构成美国华人文化社区的核心内容。     

Rape Myths and Hookup Culture: An Exploratory Study of U.S. College Students' Perceptions

The present study provides the first known systematic examination of the association of hookup culture endorsement and rape myth acceptance. Multivariate regression analysis was conducted to test the primary hypothesis that hookup culture endorsement would be the primary predictor of rape myth acceptance levels among a sample of 422 U.S. college students. Findings indicated the existence of a complex relationship in which rape myth acceptance increases or decreases based upon the form of hookup culture endorsement examined. Beliefs that hookups are harmless and elevate social status increased rape myth acceptance, whereas beliefs that hookups express sexual freedom decreased rape myth acceptance. Furthermore, results supported the hypothesis that hookup culture endorsement was the largest predictor of rape myth acceptance. Consistent with previous studies, the predictive power of gender and religiosity in determining levels of rape myth acceptance were shown to be significant. When controlling for levels of hookup culture endorsement, the explanatory power of these variables decreased, and hookup culture endorsement had the largest effect upon rape myth acceptance levels.     

Perceptions of attitudinal similarity in ethnic groups in the U.S.: ingroup and outgroup homogeneity effects

The outgroup homogeneity phenomenon was examined by having majority group members (White Americans) judge the variability in attitudes about intergroup relations in their own group and one outgroup (African Americans). A preliminary study found the threat of the attitude statements to the group doing the judging seemed to affect whether or not participants showed outgroup or ingroup homogeneity. For the present study, statements about ethnic group relations were prerated to obtain two sets of items that aroused either high or low threat to White Americans. White students judged the homogeneity of these items for their own group and for African Americans. Outgroup homogeneity was found for the low threat items and ingroup homogeneity was found for the high threat items. This study demonstrates that the homogeneity effect depends on the threat of the attitude content to the group doing the judging. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measuring Perceptions of Gender Roles: The IAWS for Pakistanis and U.S. Immigrant Populations

A new scale called the Islamic Attitudes Toward Women Scale (IAWS) was developed and administered to a sample of 195 Pakistani adults and to a sample of 140 Muslim immigrants in the United States. In support of the construct validation of the scale, it was found to significantly differentiate between liberal and conservative Muslims in Pakistan, and in both samples, men held more conservative attitudes than women. For both women and men, more liberal scores on the IAWS were correlated with less accepting beliefs about marital violence toward women. In the U.S. immigrant sample, those who had been in the United States longer had less conservative attitudes.     

Ethnic Pride and Cardiovascular Health Among Mexican American Adults Along the U.S.-Mexico Border

This study addressed the association between items from the General Acculturation Index (GAI) and cardiovascular health. Specifically, we assessed whether ethnic pride was associated with health outcomes after controlling for items regarding language, place where the childhood was spent and ethnic interaction. The study was a cross sectional analysis of demographic and clinical data from a border population of Mexican American adults (n=316) at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Outcomes included smoking and diabetes status, Framingham risk, and metabolic syndrome. Ethnic pride was associated with lower diabetes prevalence, lower Framingham risk, and fewer risk factors for metabolic syndrome, but was not associated with smoking status. Ethnic pride was not associated with the other acculturation items of the GAI. Among an at-risk border population, ethnic pride functioned independently of other acculturation indicators. Ethnic pride may act as a protective factor for diabetes, metabolic syndrome and CVD risk status.     

Cognitive style and plebe turnover at the U.S. Naval Academy

Students entering (N = 1,134) the U.S. Naval Academy class of 2000 were administered the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory on the first day of Plebe Summer, a 7-wk. nonacademic training program completed by all entering students in the summer prior to the freshman year. The mean score on Innovation cognitive style for this sample of plebes was approximately a standard deviation lower than those of five other undergraduate student samples from nonmilitary universities. Furthermore, the 98 plebes who voluntarily withdrew before completing the program scored higher on the average on Innovation than those who remained. Findings suggest that, in terms of Person-Organization fit, plebes with a more innovative cognitive style may, perhaps, be less compatible with the regimentation-style climate of the Academy than those with an Adaptive cognitive style. Further research, however, is needed to specify the relationship between Academy students' cognitive style and other important organizational outcomes.     

Relationships Between Drinking and Type of Practice Among U.S. Female and Male Attorneys

Abstract

The author investigated the relationship between drinking and type of practice among U.S. attorneys. Participants were attorneys from 2 large midwestern cities, chosen through stratified random sampling from bar-association membership lists. Type of law practice was related to whether the participants drank in business-related situations but not to the frequency or the quantity of consumption. The participants in solo, corporate, or government practices were more likely than were those in private group practices to report no business-related drinking in the past 30 days. Female and male attorneys in similar practices reported similar abstention rates and quantities of consumption in business situations, suggesting that occupational norms were strongly salient for both genders. Criminal trial work was related to drinking only for the women. Results are discussed in terms of the influence of occupational culture on drinking.