Wilkins and Martin receive award to study how faith communities perceive bias

Clara Wilkins, assistant professor in psychological and brain sciences in Arts & Sciences, will serve as principal investigator for “Harnessing Religious Values to Increase Public Virtue.” Lerone A. Martin, associate professor in the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics and director of the American Culture Studies program in Arts & Sciences, will serve as co-principal investigator.

The two-year study — which received an award of $187,176 from The Self, Virtue & Public Life research initiative — will combine in-person interviews with quantitative psychological analyses to assess the extents to which faith communities perceive bias against their own groups; the motivations and policy implications of those beliefs; and potential strategies for addressing tensions between Christian and LGBT groups. Read more here.