Research Projects
I am currently working on several projects: (1) Social Predictors of Science Skepticism (including vaccine skepticism); (2) Violent crime, victimization, and discrimination; (3) Civic engagement and collective action; (4) Emotional dynamics in megachurches; and (5) Religious commitment, identity, and group solidarity.
What social factors affect science skepticism including vaccine skepticism? What are the implications have science skepticism, such as lower vaccine uptake and higher acceptance of misinformation?
Corcoran, Katie E., Christopher P. Scheitle, and Bernard D. DiGregorio. Forthcoming “Individual’s Use of Religion in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic as Complementary to Their Use of Medically Recommended Responses.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.
Scheitle, Christopher P. and Katie E. Corcoran. Forthcoming. “COVID-19 Skepticism in Relation to Other Forms of Science Skepticism.” Socius. https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231211049841
Scheitle, Christopher P. and Katie E. Corcoran. Forthcoming. “Endorsement of Religion-Science Conflict as an Expression of Group Solidarity among Graduate Students in the Sciences.” Sociology of Religion. https://doi.org/10.1093/socrel/srab003
Corcoran, Katie E., Christopher P. Scheitle, and Bernard D. DiGregorio. 2021. “Christian Nationalism and COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Uptake.” Vaccine 39(45): 6614-6621.
Corcoran, Katie E., Rachel E. Stein, Corey J. Colyer, Annette M. Mackay, and Sara K. Guthrie. 2021. “Global Contexts: How Countries Shape the COVID-19 Experience of Amish and Mennonite Missionaries Abroad.” Religions 12(1): 1-18.
Stein, Rachel E., Katie E. Corcoran, Corey J. Colyer, Annette M. Mackay, and Sara K. Guthrie. 2021. “Closed but Not Protected: Excess Deaths Among the Amish and Mennonites During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Journal of Religion and Health 60: 3230-3244.
DiGregorio, Bernard D., Katie E. Corcoran, Corey J. Colyer, and Rachel E. Stein. 2021. “‘When the Waves Roll High’: Religious Coping among the Amish and Mennonites During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Religions 12(9): 1-17.
What individual and contextual factors predict violent crime, victimization, and discrimination?
Cross-national:
Corcoran, Katie E. and Rodney Stark. Forthcoming. “Region, Routine Activities, and Violent Victimization: A Cross-National, Multilevel Analysis of 112 Countries.” International Review of Victimology.
Corcoran, Katie E. and Rodney Stark. 2018. “Culture, Region, and Cross-National Violent Crime.” Sociological Forum 33(2): 310-333.
Corcoran, Katie E., David Pettinicchio, and Blaine Robbins. 2018. “A Double-Edged Sword: The Countervailing Effects of Religion on Cross-National Crime.” Social Science Quarterly 99(1): 377-389.
Stark, Rodney and Katie E. Corcoran. 2014. Religious Hostility: A Global Assessment of Hatred and Terror. Waco: ISR Books.
Corcoran, Katie E., David Pettinicchio, and Blaine Robbins. 2012. “Religion and the Acceptability of White-Collar Crime: A Cross-National Analysis.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 51(3): 542-567.
Religion and victimization and discrimination:
Corcoran, Katie E., Christopher P. Scheitle, and Erin B. Hudnall. “Organizational Activities and Property Crime Victimization.” Under review.
Scheitle, Christopher P. and Katie E. Corcoran. 2018. “Religious Tradition and Workplace Religious Discrimination: The Moderating Effects of Regional Context.” Social Currents 5(3): 283-300.
Corcoran, Katie E., Christopher P. Scheitle, and Bernard D. DiGregorio. Forthcoming “Individual’s Use of Religion in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic as Complementary to Their Use of Medically Recommended Responses.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion.
Scheitle, Christopher P. and Katie E. Corcoran. Forthcoming. “COVID-19 Skepticism in Relation to Other Forms of Science Skepticism.” Socius. https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231211049841
Scheitle, Christopher P. and Katie E. Corcoran. Forthcoming. “Endorsement of Religion-Science Conflict as an Expression of Group Solidarity among Graduate Students in the Sciences.” Sociology of Religion. https://doi.org/10.1093/socrel/srab003
Corcoran, Katie E., Christopher P. Scheitle, and Bernard D. DiGregorio. 2021. “Christian Nationalism and COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Uptake.” Vaccine 39(45): 6614-6621.
Corcoran, Katie E., Rachel E. Stein, Corey J. Colyer, Annette M. Mackay, and Sara K. Guthrie. 2021. “Global Contexts: How Countries Shape the COVID-19 Experience of Amish and Mennonite Missionaries Abroad.” Religions 12(1): 1-18.
Stein, Rachel E., Katie E. Corcoran, Corey J. Colyer, Annette M. Mackay, and Sara K. Guthrie. 2021. “Closed but Not Protected: Excess Deaths Among the Amish and Mennonites During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Journal of Religion and Health 60: 3230-3244.
DiGregorio, Bernard D., Katie E. Corcoran, Corey J. Colyer, and Rachel E. Stein. 2021. “‘When the Waves Roll High’: Religious Coping among the Amish and Mennonites During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Religions 12(9): 1-17.
What individual and contextual factors predict violent crime, victimization, and discrimination?
Cross-national:
Corcoran, Katie E. and Rodney Stark. Forthcoming. “Region, Routine Activities, and Violent Victimization: A Cross-National, Multilevel Analysis of 112 Countries.” International Review of Victimology.
Corcoran, Katie E. and Rodney Stark. 2018. “Culture, Region, and Cross-National Violent Crime.” Sociological Forum 33(2): 310-333.
Corcoran, Katie E., David Pettinicchio, and Blaine Robbins. 2018. “A Double-Edged Sword: The Countervailing Effects of Religion on Cross-National Crime.” Social Science Quarterly 99(1): 377-389.
Stark, Rodney and Katie E. Corcoran. 2014. Religious Hostility: A Global Assessment of Hatred and Terror. Waco: ISR Books.
Corcoran, Katie E., David Pettinicchio, and Blaine Robbins. 2012. “Religion and the Acceptability of White-Collar Crime: A Cross-National Analysis.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 51(3): 542-567.
Religion and victimization and discrimination:
Corcoran, Katie E., Christopher P. Scheitle, and Erin B. Hudnall. “Organizational Activities and Property Crime Victimization.” Under review.
Scheitle, Christopher P. and Katie E. Corcoran. 2018. “Religious Tradition and Workplace Religious Discrimination: The Moderating Effects of Regional Context.” Social Currents 5(3): 283-300.
What individual and contextual factors predict civic engagement and collective action?
Emotion and Volunteering, Donating Money, Neighborliness, and Political Activism:
Corcoran, Katie E. 2020. “Religion, Emotion, and Civic Engagement.” Sociology of Religion 81(2): 206-229.
Corcoran, Katie E. 2015. “Thinkers and Feelers: Emotion and Giving.” Social Science Research 52: 686-700.
Predictors of Political Activism and Collective Action:
Pfaff, Steven, Michael Hechter, and Katie E. Corcoran. 2016. "The Problem of Solidarity in Insurgent Collective Action: The Nore Mutiny of 1797." Social Science History 40(2): 247-270.
Corcoran, Katie E., David Pettinicchio, and Jacob T.N. Young. 2015. "Perceptions of Societal Injustice and Efficacy: Participation in Low/Moderate/High-Cost Collective Action.” Sociological Inquiry 85(3): 429-461.
Corcoran, Katie E., David Pettinicchio, and Jacob T. N. Young. 2011. “The Context of Control: A Cross-National Investigation of the Link between Political Institutions, Efficacy, and Collective Action.” British Journal of Social Psychology 50(4): 575-605.
Emotion and Volunteering, Donating Money, Neighborliness, and Political Activism:
Corcoran, Katie E. 2020. “Religion, Emotion, and Civic Engagement.” Sociology of Religion 81(2): 206-229.
Corcoran, Katie E. 2015. “Thinkers and Feelers: Emotion and Giving.” Social Science Research 52: 686-700.
Predictors of Political Activism and Collective Action:
Pfaff, Steven, Michael Hechter, and Katie E. Corcoran. 2016. "The Problem of Solidarity in Insurgent Collective Action: The Nore Mutiny of 1797." Social Science History 40(2): 247-270.
Corcoran, Katie E., David Pettinicchio, and Jacob T.N. Young. 2015. "Perceptions of Societal Injustice and Efficacy: Participation in Low/Moderate/High-Cost Collective Action.” Sociological Inquiry 85(3): 429-461.
Corcoran, Katie E., David Pettinicchio, and Jacob T. N. Young. 2011. “The Context of Control: A Cross-National Investigation of the Link between Political Institutions, Efficacy, and Collective Action.” British Journal of Social Psychology 50(4): 575-605.
Why are megachurches so successful? What role does emotion play in their success?
Wellman, James K. Jr., Katie E. Corcoran, and Kate Stockly. 2020. High on God: How the Megachurches Won the Heart of America. New York: Oxford University Press.
Corcoran, Katie E. and James K. Wellman Jr. 2016. “‘People Forget He’s Human’: Charismatic Leadership in Institutionalized Religion.” Sociology of Religion 77(4): 309-333.
Wellman, James K. Jr., Katie E. Corcoran, and Kate Stockly-Meyerdirk. 2014. “‘God is like a Drug..’: Explaining Interaction Rituals in American Megachurches.” Sociological Forum 29(3): 650-672.
Wellman, James K. Jr., Katie E. Corcoran, and Kate Stockly. 2020. High on God: How the Megachurches Won the Heart of America. New York: Oxford University Press.
Corcoran, Katie E. and James K. Wellman Jr. 2016. “‘People Forget He’s Human’: Charismatic Leadership in Institutionalized Religion.” Sociology of Religion 77(4): 309-333.
Wellman, James K. Jr., Katie E. Corcoran, and Kate Stockly-Meyerdirk. 2014. “‘God is like a Drug..’: Explaining Interaction Rituals in American Megachurches.” Sociological Forum 29(3): 650-672.
What factors affect religious commitment, identity, and group solidarity?
Corcoran, Katie E., Christopher P. Scheitle, and Ellory Dabbs. 2021. “Multiple (Non)Religious Identities Leads to Undercounting Religious Nones and Asian Religious Identities.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 60(2): 424-441.
Corcoran, Katie E., Rachel E. Stein, Corey J. Colyer, and Brittany M. Kowalski. 2021. “Familial Ties, Location of Occupation, and Congregational Exit in Geographically-Based Congregations: A Case Study of the Amish.” Review of Religious Research, 63: 245-268.
Scheitle, Christopher P. and Katie E. Corcoran. 2020. “More than Nothing: Examining the Worldview Influences of Nonreligious College Students.” Review of Religious Research 62: 249-271.
Stein, Rachel E., Katie E. Corcoran, Brittany M. Kowalski, and Corey J. Colyer. 2020. “Congregational Cohesion, Retention, and the Consequences of Size Reduction: A Longitudinal Network Analysis of An Old Order Amish Congregation.” Sociology of Religion 81(2): 206-229.
Corcoran, Katie E. 2019. “Religious Capital Specificity: Predicting Member Retention.” Interdisciplinary Journal for Research on Religion Volume 15, Article 1.
Hudnall, Erin B., Katie E. Corcoran, and Christopher P. Scheitle. 2019. “Is West Virginia a Religious Void? An Investigation.” Review of Religious Research 61(2): 109-118.
Scheitle, Christopher P., Katie E. Corcoran, and Caitlin Halligan. 2018. “The Rise of the Nones and the Changing Relationships between Identity, Belief, and Behavior.” Journal of Contemporary Religion 33(3): 567-579.
Scheitle, Christopher P, Katie E. Corcoran, and Erin Hudnall. 2019.“Adopting a Stigmatized Label: Social Determinants of Identifying as an Atheist beyond Disbelief.” Social Forces 97(4): 1731-1756.
Wurpts, Bernd, Katie E. Corcoran, and Steven Pfaff. 2018. “The Hanseatic League and the Coming of the Reformation: Urban Networks, Social Diffusion and the Adoption of Protestantism.” Social Science History 42(2): 213-244.
Corcoran, Katie E. 2015. “Thinkers and Feelers: Emotion and Giving.” Social Science Research 52: 686-700.
Wellman, James K. Jr. and Katie E. Corcoran. 2013. “Religion and Regional Culture: Embedding Religious Commitment within Place.” Sociology of Religion 74(4): 496-520.
Corcoran, Katie E. 2013. "Divine Exchanges: Applying Social Exchange Theory to Religious Behavior." Rationality and Society 25(3): 335-369.
Pfaff, Steven and Katie E. Corcoran. 2012. “Piety, Power, and the Purse: The Political Religious Economies Theory and Urban Reform in the Holy Roman Empire.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 51(4): 757-776.
Corcoran, Katie E. 2012. “Religious Human Capital Revisited: Testing the Effect of Religious Human Capital on Religious Participation.” Rationality and Society 24(3): 343-379.
Winner of the 2011 Rationality and Society Student Paper Award.
Corcoran, Katie E., Christopher P. Scheitle, and Ellory Dabbs. 2021. “Multiple (Non)Religious Identities Leads to Undercounting Religious Nones and Asian Religious Identities.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 60(2): 424-441.
Corcoran, Katie E., Rachel E. Stein, Corey J. Colyer, and Brittany M. Kowalski. 2021. “Familial Ties, Location of Occupation, and Congregational Exit in Geographically-Based Congregations: A Case Study of the Amish.” Review of Religious Research, 63: 245-268.
Scheitle, Christopher P. and Katie E. Corcoran. 2020. “More than Nothing: Examining the Worldview Influences of Nonreligious College Students.” Review of Religious Research 62: 249-271.
Stein, Rachel E., Katie E. Corcoran, Brittany M. Kowalski, and Corey J. Colyer. 2020. “Congregational Cohesion, Retention, and the Consequences of Size Reduction: A Longitudinal Network Analysis of An Old Order Amish Congregation.” Sociology of Religion 81(2): 206-229.
Corcoran, Katie E. 2019. “Religious Capital Specificity: Predicting Member Retention.” Interdisciplinary Journal for Research on Religion Volume 15, Article 1.
Hudnall, Erin B., Katie E. Corcoran, and Christopher P. Scheitle. 2019. “Is West Virginia a Religious Void? An Investigation.” Review of Religious Research 61(2): 109-118.
Scheitle, Christopher P., Katie E. Corcoran, and Caitlin Halligan. 2018. “The Rise of the Nones and the Changing Relationships between Identity, Belief, and Behavior.” Journal of Contemporary Religion 33(3): 567-579.
Scheitle, Christopher P, Katie E. Corcoran, and Erin Hudnall. 2019.“Adopting a Stigmatized Label: Social Determinants of Identifying as an Atheist beyond Disbelief.” Social Forces 97(4): 1731-1756.
Wurpts, Bernd, Katie E. Corcoran, and Steven Pfaff. 2018. “The Hanseatic League and the Coming of the Reformation: Urban Networks, Social Diffusion and the Adoption of Protestantism.” Social Science History 42(2): 213-244.
Corcoran, Katie E. 2015. “Thinkers and Feelers: Emotion and Giving.” Social Science Research 52: 686-700.
Wellman, James K. Jr. and Katie E. Corcoran. 2013. “Religion and Regional Culture: Embedding Religious Commitment within Place.” Sociology of Religion 74(4): 496-520.
Corcoran, Katie E. 2013. "Divine Exchanges: Applying Social Exchange Theory to Religious Behavior." Rationality and Society 25(3): 335-369.
Pfaff, Steven and Katie E. Corcoran. 2012. “Piety, Power, and the Purse: The Political Religious Economies Theory and Urban Reform in the Holy Roman Empire.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 51(4): 757-776.
Corcoran, Katie E. 2012. “Religious Human Capital Revisited: Testing the Effect of Religious Human Capital on Religious Participation.” Rationality and Society 24(3): 343-379.
Winner of the 2011 Rationality and Society Student Paper Award.
