Secularization and Desecularization in Our Time

Secularization and Desecularization in Our Time (full download)

Gerhard Meisenberg; 2011

Journal of Social, Political, and Economic Studies

Abstract

Using data from the World Values Survey covering the period from 1981 to 2008, this study examines trends in the strength of religious belief worldwide. At the country level, the most important predictors of current religiosity are high intelligence and a history of communist rule, both of which reduce religious belief. However, religiosity has been rising vigorously in the communist and ex-communist countries during the surveyed period although religion is declining in most countries of non-communist Europe and East Asia. In addition to a history of communist rule, other factors associated with rising religiosity include high religiosity of young people relative to older people, high female relative to male religiosity, and a positive relationship between religiosity and fertility. In addition, religion tends to grow in countries in which less educated people are far more religious than those with higher education. Aside from the rebound of religion in the (ex)communist countries, the religiosity gap between the most advanced and the most backward nations has widened worldwide. The implications of these findings for the future of religion are discussed.

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Sex differences in religiosity:

"In countries with high average religiosity, both men and women are highly religious and the gender difference is small. Gender differences are larger in low-religiosity countries, and are largest in advanced nations with Christian tradition. Gender differences are smallest in the Muslim countries of North Africa and the Middle East. This region has high average religiosity, and it is quite possible that Islam is intrinsically more attractive for men whereas Christianity is more attractive for women. The appendix shows that Mali and Saudi Arabia are the only countries in the World Values Survey in which men are (marginally) more religious than women."

Religious belief and intelligence: Worldwide evidence

Religious belief and intelligence: Worldwide evidence
Francisco Cribari-Neto and Tatiene C Souza; Sebtember-October 2013
Intelligence


Abstract

Is there a positive impact of intelligence on religious disbelief after we account for the fact that both average intelligence and religious disbelief tend to be higher in more developed countries? We carry out four beta regression analyses and conclude that the answer is yes. We also compute impact curves that show how the effect of intelligence on atheism changes with average intelligence quotients. The impact is stronger at lower intelligence levels, peaks somewhere between 100 and 110, and then weakens. Bootstrap standard errors for our point estimates and bootstrap confidence intervals are also computed.

Religiosity and fear of death: a three‐nation comparison

Religiosity and fear of death: a three‐nation comparison
Lee Ellis et al.; 2013


Abstract

Numerous studies have sought to determine if religiosity is correlated with fear of death. Findings have been anything but consistent, with reports of negative relationships, positive relationships, no relationship, and even curvilinear associations. To shed light on this still contentious issue, the present study was undertaken among college students in three countries – Malaysia, Turkey, and the United States. Overall, the patterns in all three countries were similar. When linearity was assumed, there is a substantial positive correlation between most religiosity measures and fear of death. Assuming curvilinearity added slightly to the strength of the relationships in the US data and nothing to data from Malaysia or Turkey. Other findings were that on average females were more religious and feared death more than did males, and Muslims expressed considerably greater fear than did members of any other major religion. Results were discussed in the context of a new theory – called death apprehension theory. Among other things, it specifically predicts that death apprehension will be positively related to most religious beliefs and practices.