Evan Stewart
Evan Stewart

Research

My research focuses on the stakes of social pluralism: what brings diverse groups of people together, and what breaks them apart? I tackle this question across many topics using insights from cultural sociology, social psychology, and political science. In doing so, I lead collaborative teams that do dynamic research with survey methods and big data to understand cultural change in three areas:

 

The Moral Politics of Climate Crisis

In an era of escalating climate crisis, whether people “believe” in climate change is increasingly irrelevant. Instead, how do our collective moral foundations shape our willingness to support resilience policies, prepare for environmental change, and help others? My current research focuses on the moral politics of the climate crisis, moving “beyond belief” in climate change to better understand our collective willingness to help vulnerable populations and address environmental inequality.

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Religious Change & Disaffiliation

Fewer Americans identify with any religious tradition, but many still call themselves “spiritual” and do a wide variety of meaningful practices together. How is religious change shaping our social and political lives? My work on voting, volunteering, and other forms of civic engagement examines how our community wellbeing changes as religious experiences change.

 

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Belonging & Diversity in Public Life

Who has legitimacy, who has authority, and what are the stakes of those questions for social problems? My work in this area focuses on “the stakes of symbolic boundaries” - how our implicit and explicit social assumptions about belonging have material consequences for our collective wellbeing.

Featured Recent Publications