The Effect of Income on Religiousness

A-Tier
Journal: American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
Year: 2015
Volume: 7
Issue: 3
Pages: 178-95

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

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)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aejapp:v:7:y:2015:i:3:p:178-95
Journal Field
General
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-25