Does Religiosity Affect Perceptions of Racism in the New South?

In the 1950s in the American South religion was used by the White population to justify segregation. Though survey research the authors find that religious Whites perceive less institutional racism than their non-religious counterparts. Among Black respondents, the religious perceive more institutional racism than their non-religious counterparts. It seems that the legacy of traditional linkages between White churches and support for segregation in the South may still be found because religious White people are significantly less likely to acknowledge the persistence of institutional racism than White people who describe themselves as non-religious.