The Effect of Income on Religiousness

Thomas Buser

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 2015, vol. 7, issue 3, 178-95

Abstract: How does income affect religiousness? Using self-collected survey data, we estimate the effects of income on religious behavior. As a source of exogenous income variation we use a change in the eligibility criteria for a government cash transfer in Ecuador and apply a regression discontinuity strategy to estimate causal effects. We find significant effects of income on religiousness. Families that earn more go to church more often. Families that earn more are also more likely to be members of an Evangelical community rather than of the mainstream Catholic Church. (JEL D14, H23, J12, J31, O15, Z12)

JEL-codes: D14 H23 J12 J31 O15 Z12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
Note: DOI: 10.1257/app.20140162
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (37)

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Working Paper: The Effect of Income on Religiousness (2014)
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