"Trump's supporters are the Religious Right without the Religion" (see OP)

[TJ in Oregon]

There are Atheists out there who do believe religious folks are dumb and uneducated and if they were only smart enough to see beyond superstition to be enlightened by reason they would cease to be religious. These are generally the dumb Atheists. Torie is not one of them.

[Orser67]

What they meant was: the "populist voice" of the Republican Party used to be the Religious Right. But with changing demographics and serious blows, religion-driven social conservatism and organized religious devotion in general have been on decline in the United States.

The other thing worth noting here is that the religious right is firmly entrenched as an important part of the Republican establishment, whereas populist-oriented working class whites tend to vote Republican (when they vote) but probably aren't involved in high-level GOP activities. In that way, working class whites are in a similar position to the religious right in the 1970's.

[Bojack Horseman]

I can agree with that statement, though I also feel that Trump is basically the second coming of George Wallace.

[Bismarck]

There seems to be a perception that the religous right is primarliy low income. In my personal experience being from central Indiana, most of folks who attend the independent mostly evangelical churches (which in central Indiana is the dominant form of Christianity) tend to be upper middle class family focused people. The lower middle class folks, at least in the county I grew up in, were much less likely to be highly involved in the churches. Trump's base is these people, not the upper middle class religous folks.

[King of Kensington]

I think of the religious right being strong among the petty bourgeoisie, i.e. the type of person who went to a non-elite college and took a practical major like marketing and still looks down on "eggheads." 

Probably a good number of "upstanding citizens" and "community leaders" in small town America are religious right.

The data I've seen suggests that "belief" is higher among lower income people but "belonging" is higher among the better-off.

Among the educated, upper middle class elite - say those that meet the definition of a higher status professional or executive occupation and an advanced degree - the religious right is almost certainly unrepresented.

Conveniently this narrative works for the Republican base - as even a lot of very well-off religious right people don't meet the elite definition above.

[King of Kensington]

Evangelical Christian and active religious right aren't synonymous but this seems pretty telling...

Income $100K+

Jewish  44%
Mainline Protestant  23%
Unaffiliated  21%
Mormon  20%
Catholic  19%
Evangelical Protestant  14%

College degree

Jewish  60%
Mainline Protestant  33%
Mormon  33%
Unaffiliated  29%
Catholic  26%
Evangelical Protestant  21%

Post-graduate degree

Jewish  31%
Mainline Protestant  14%
Unaffiliated  11%
Catholic  10%
Mormon  10%
Evangelical Protestant  7%

http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/

[All Along The Watchtower]

Evangelical Christian and active religious right aren't synonymous but this seems pretty telling...

Income $100K+

Jewish  44%
Mainline Protestant  23%
Unaffiliated  21%
Mormon  20%
Catholic  19%
Evangelical Protestant  14%

College degree

Jewish  60%
Mainline Protestant  33%
Mormon  33%
Unaffiliated  29%
Catholic  26%
Evangelical Protestant  21%

Post-graduate degree

Jewish  31%
Mainline Protestant  14%
Unaffiliated  11%
Catholic  10%
Mormon  10%
Evangelical Protestant  7%

http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/

The active Religious Right is fairly niche even among white evangelicals. I suspect that the Religious Right would be more middle class (in education, income, and culture) - certainly more so than much of white evangelical America, which still tends to be relatively downscale (at least, among white Americans). The major divides among evangelical Protestants in general (i.e. not just white evangelicals) are race and economics - which makes sense, since white evangelicals skew wealthier than black and Latino evangelicals. That is reflected in white evangelicals' strong support for Republicans, black evangelicals' even stronger support for Democrats, and Latino evangelicals being somewhere in the middle; however, it is also reflected in the more politically conservative attitudes of white evangelicals more broadly, and in a way where "social conservatism" isn't accompanied or even superseded by an emphasis on social/economic/racial justice (like it is for the Latino and especially the black churches).

Also, note that white evangelicals are disproportionately found in the South,  the Lower Midwest, and parts of Appalachia and  the Great Plains, along with rural, small-town, and exurban areas. These are often fairly downscale regions in general.

[Hillary pays minimum wage]

Evangelical Christian and active religious right aren't synonymous but this seems pretty telling...

Income $100K+

Jewish  44%
Mainline Protestant  23%
Unaffiliated  21%
Mormon  20%
Catholic  19%
Evangelical Protestant  14%

College degree

Jewish  60%
Mainline Protestant  33%
Mormon  33%
Unaffiliated  29%
Catholic  26%
Evangelical Protestant  21%

Post-graduate degree

Jewish  31%
Mainline Protestant  14%
Unaffiliated  11%
Catholic  10%
Mormon  10%
Evangelical Protestant  7%

http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/

Jews are very successful aren't they?

[King of Kensington]

The active Religious Right is fairly niche even among white evangelicals. I suspect that the Religious Right would be more middle class (in education, income, and culture) - certainly more so than much of white evangelical America, which still tends to be relatively downscale (at least, among white Americans). The major divides among evangelical Protestants in general (i.e. not just white evangelicals) are race and economics - which makes sense, since white evangelicals skew wealthier than black and Latino evangelicals. That is reflected in white evangelicals' strong support for Republicans, black evangelicals' even stronger support for Democrats, and Latino evangelicals being somewhere in the middle; however, it is also reflected in the more politically conservative attitudes of white evangelicals more broadly, and in a way where "social conservatism" isn't accompanied or even superseded by an emphasis on social/economic/racial justice (like it is for the Latino and especially the black churches).

Also, note that white evangelicals are disproportionately found in the South,  the Lower Midwest, and parts of Appalachia and  the Great Plains, along with rural, small-town, and exurban areas. These are often fairly downscale regions in general.

Makes sense.

The typical religious right activist probably looks like Ned Flanders, a fairly prosperous small-town business owner.

[SillyAmerican]

Where both candidates are so similar, is that they have dumbed it all down, as if the public square were a remedial classroom for the mentally challenged and/or those who to date haven't shown up much to class, or slept through class.

It's unfortunate, but you've pretty much described the electorate here. Ask folks to take the equivalent of a grade school civics test from the late 1800s, and you'll see what I mean.

[SillyAmerican]

There seems to be a perception that the religous right is primarliy low income. In my personal experience being from central Indiana, most of folks who attend the independent mostly evangelical churches (which in central Indiana is the dominant form of Christianity) tend to be upper middle class family focused people. The lower middle class folks, at least in the county I grew up in, were much less likely to be highly involved in the churches. Trump's base is these people, not the upper middle class religous folks.

Correct. Whether or not he can get support from the upper middle class, religious folks remains to be seen...

[King of Kensington]

So in small town Indiana etc., not going to church or baptizing your kids is associated with people from "the wrong side of the tracks"?

I guess these micro-differences don't show up in national studies, given that I haven't seen many suggesting that white evangelicals as a group are affluent.