Religious Conversion across Countries

Robert J. Barro and Rachel M. McCleary ()
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Robert J. Barro: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
Rachel M. McCleary: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA

Journal of Economics, Management and Religion (JEMAR), 2025, vol. 06, issue 01, 1-19

Abstract: In a rational-choice approach to religious conversion, the conversion rate depends on a person’s costs of switching religions and the costs of having one’s religion deviate from the type viewed as ideal. The International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) waves for 1991, 1998, 2008, and 2018 allow for calculations of country-wide conversion rates based on religious adherence at the time of each survey and a retrospective question that gauges adherence when the respondent was raised. The analysis applies to eight types of religion in 58 countries (129 total observations). The rate of conversion depends positively on measures of religious pluralism, negatively on official restrictions that inhibit conversion, negatively on a history of Communism, negatively on real per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and positively on years of schooling. These empirical findings accord with predictions from the theoretical framework.

Keywords: Economics of religion; conversion; religious pluralism; Communism; cross-country survey; rational choice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1142/S2737436X24400016

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