Arbeitspapier
Effects of religiosity on social behaviour: Experimental evidence from a representative sample of spaniards
This study explores the effect of several personal religion-related variables on social behaviour, using three paradigmatic economic games: the dictator (DG), ultimatum (UG), and trust (TG) games. A large carefully designed sample of a Spanish urban adult population (N=766) is employed. From participants' decisions in these games we obtain measures of altruism, bargaining behaviour and sense of fairness/equality, trust, and positive reciprocity. Three dimensions of religiosity are examined: (i) religious denomination; (ii) the intensity of religiosity, measured by active participation at church services; and (iii) converting out into a different denomination than the one raised in. The major results are: (i) individuals with no religion made decisions closer to rational selfish behaviour in the DG and the UG compared to those who affiliate with a standard religious denomination; (ii) among Catholics, intensity of religiosity is the key variable that affects social behaviour insofar as religiously-active individuals are generally more pro-social than non-active ones; and (iii) the religion raised in seems to have no effect on pro-sociality, beyond the effect of the current measures of religiosity. Importantly, behaviour in the TG is not predicted by any of the religion-related variables we analyse. Given the accelerating share of no religion individuals (in Europe and elsewhere) and the large influx of immigrants - who tend to be more religiously active compared to the native populations - our findings have significant implications for the future pro-sociality patterns in Europe.
- Sprache
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Englisch
- Erschienen in
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Series: Working Paper ; No. 2013-07
- Klassifikation
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Wirtschaft
Cultural Economics: Religion
Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification
- Thema
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economic experiments
religion
church attendance
pro-social behaviour
Spain
Soziales Verhalten
Religion
Spieltheorie
Test
Spanien
- Ereignis
-
Geistige Schöpfung
- (wer)
-
Brañas-Garza, Pablo
Espín, Antonio M.
Neuman, Shoshana
- Ereignis
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Veröffentlichung
- (wer)
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Bar-Ilan University, Department of Economics
- (wo)
-
Ramat-Gan
- (wann)
-
2013
- Handle
- Letzte Aktualisierung
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10.03.2025, 11:43 MEZ
Datenpartner
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Objekttyp
- Arbeitspapier
Beteiligte
- Brañas-Garza, Pablo
- Espín, Antonio M.
- Neuman, Shoshana
- Bar-Ilan University, Department of Economics
Entstanden
- 2013