Country Religiosity Declines as Material Security Increases

Abstract

According to the uncertainty hypothesis, religion declines as the quality of life improves. Replicating an earlier study with religious disbelief as the DV, it was predicted that religiosity would decline in developed countries due to greater existential security, including income security (income equality and redistribution via welfare states) and improved health. This study used a uniform data source, improving on the heterogeneous surveys tapped in the earlier work. Predictions were tested by correlation and regression analysis of 114 countries that controlled for Communism and Islamic religion. Religiosity declined with economic and social development (measured by lower agricultural employment and third-level enrollment). income security (low Gini coefficient, high personal taxation tapping the welfare state), and health security (low pathogen prevalence, marginally significant in the regression analysis). Results show that religiosity declines as material security increases, consistent with the uncertainty hypothesis, replicating the earlier study.