MOBILIZING LOCAL RELIGIOUS MARKETS - RELIGIOUS PLURALISM IN THE EMPIRE STATE, 1855 TO 1865

Recent theoretical arguments contend that when the state permits a rel igious free marker, pluralism and competition will emerge and overall levels of religious participation will increase. We return to nineteen th-century America, when the emergence of a religious free marker was in progress, to examine whether pluralism generated higher levels of r eligious participation. We use data from the New Yolk State censuses o f 1855 and 1865 to explore religious participation in 942 towns and ci ties in the state. Our results strongly, support the pluralism thesis, highlight demographic effects on religious participation, and help ex plain conflicting research findings on pluralism and religions partici pation.