DEVOTION IN DIXIE AND BEYOND - A TEST OF THE SHIBLEY THESIS SIM THE EFFECTS OF REGIONAL ORIGIN AND MIGRATION ON INDIVIDUAL RELIGIOSITY

This article examines the relative prominence of religion in the Ameri can South, in light of two contemporary phenomena: increased interregi onal mobility in the United States, and the rise of American evangelic alism. We investigate the effects of regional migration and non-migrat ion on church attendance and importance of faith in the South as compa red to the rest of the country. Results show that religiosity increase s when people move to a region of high religious commitment, and decre ases when one moves to an area where religious commitment is lower. Th e evidence suggests that the South maintains its religious distinctive ness for natives, but the prospects of maintaining as strong a religio sity for those who migrate out of the South are low. These findings ca ll into question Mark Shibley's thesis (1996) about the sources of the resurgence of American evangelicalism.