["Social Science Quarterly, Volume 107, Issue 3, May 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\n\nObjective\nWhat is the role of religion in America's growing geographic divide?\n\n\nMethods\nUsing the data from the 2020 American National Election Study, we test the extent to which religion is associated with rural identity and rural resentment.\n\n\nResults\nWe find positive empirical relationships between religion (particularly personal religious importance, religious beliefs, and identifying with mainline or evangelical Protestant Christianity) and a variety of variables that measure different facets of rural consciousness and place‐based identity. In addition, we show important conditional effects of how religion is related to rural resentment among both rural and non‐rural individuals.\n\n\nConclusion\nThese findings provide important context for both the urban–rural divide and the role of religion in American politics and suggest religion as an avenue for addressing place‐based divisions.\n\n"]