What determined allegiance during the British Civil Wars?

It is clear that religious affiliation and religious fears were the principle factors determining allegiance in the British Civil Wars for the people who actively chose to fight, however it is important to remember that the majority of people did not have any control over which army decided to recruit their services. Revisionist historians, such as Kevin Sharpe, point to the importance of neutralism in the Civil Wars, highlighting the fact that the majority of people felt no or little allegiance to either side, resulting in widespread desertion from both royalist and parliamentarian armies. For example, it is estimated that roughly half of the New Model Army's conscripts in 1645 deserted despite continued resounding successes - especially after the Battle of Naseby in June 1645. This was so extreme that oftentimes Parliamentarian conscripts had be be escorted with one or two guards to the training ground at Reading, often costing the army over £2 per conscript. This highlights the importance of what has been dubbed the "locality effect" in determining attitudes towards the Civil War amongst the majority of the population, and therefore determined the allegiance of the country to a larger extent than other factors, such as religion. The importance of religion in determining the allegiance of those who actively fought in the wars is encapsulated by John Morrill's famous statement that "it was the force of religion that drove minorities to fight, and forced majorities to make difficult choices." This is demonstrated also in contemporary accounts, with one Scottish Covenanter in particular claiming that "zeal for religion transports men beyond themselves." One estimate claims that roughly four in five parliamentary generals actively viewed themselves as God's instruments on earth, demonstrating the importance of religion in their choice to fight for the Parliamentarian cause. However, it is clear that it was not only religious zeal which determined allegiance. It was also fears of persecution due to religion which convinced people to choose a particular side. For example, Catholics feared that if Parliament were to win, they would be hunted down and killed, partially in retaliation for the bloodshed of the 1641 Irish Rebellion. This is why Catholics decided to side with the king in large numbers, with one estimate claiming that as many as 34% of royalist officers were Catholic (despite the fact that Catholics were technically punished under English law at the time). Therefore, in terms of the people who actively chose to fight in the Civil Wars, religion was the most important factor determining their allegiance, however, the majority of the rank-and-file of the army were conscripts who did not necessarily owe any particular allegiance to either side.