Income, Religion and Politics
Monday November 5, 2007
These charts from the Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science blog at Columbia University suggest that people in wealthier states both voted Democratic in the last presidential election and were at or below average on a scale reflecting church attendance.
People in "poorer" states were more likely to have voted Republican in 2004 and to attend church above more than average.
The researchers developed the US plots after reading about a Pew Global study referenced in the NY Times. The Pew study suggested that, on average, people in poorer countries are more religious than those in wealthier countries (emphasis added).
Global publics are sharply divided over the relationship between religion and morality. In much of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, there is a strong consensus that belief in God is necessary for morality and good values. Throughout much of Europe, however, majorities think morality is achievable without faith. Meanwhile, opinions are more mixed in the Americas, including in the United States, where 57% say that one must believe in God to have good values and be moral, while 41% disagree.
The survey finds a strong relationship between a country's religiosity and its economic status. In poorer nations, religion remains central to the lives of individuals, while secular perspectives are more common in richer nations. This relationship generally is consistent across regions and countries, although there are some exceptions, including most notably the United States, which is a much more religious country than its level of prosperity would indicate. Other nations deviate from the pattern as well, including the oil-rich, predominantly Muslim -- and very religious -- kingdom of Kuwait.
Kevin Drum at Washington Monthly wrote about the Pew report last month.
A reminder that correlation is not the same thing as causation!
Also, see Politics and Religion: A Must Read and the book God Willing? Political Fundamentalism in the White House, The "War On Terror," and The Echoing Press (2004) by Dr. David Domke. [Buy This Book]