Does Security Increase Secularity? Evidence from the British Household Panel Survey on the Relationship between Income and Religious Service Attendance

in Journal of Religion in Europe
Author: Ingrid Storm 1
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Online Publication Date:
06 Oct 2017
Volume/Issue:
Volume 10: Issue 3
Article Type:
Research Article
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1163/18748929-01003004
Keywords:
economic insecurity; secularisation; stress buffering; life satisfaction; panel data
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Material security has been associated with lower religious attendance both between and within countries and has been proposed as one of the mechanisms causing long term religious decline in economically developed countries. Using a British panel study, this article examines (a) whether change to household incomes can incite individual religious change and (b) whether religion can buffer against the stress of economic loss.

The main trend in Britain is that of religious stability or decline, and income change does nothing to reverse this trend. Increases in household income are associated with religious disengagement, but income reduction has no effect on religious attendance. However, religious activity may still act as a ‘buffer’ by improving and maintaining life satisfaction in the face of economic loss.

In:
Journal of Religion in Europe
E-ISSN:
1874-8929
Print ISSN:
1874-8910
Publisher:
Brill
Cover Journal of Religion in Europe
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Figures
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    Percentage of monthly religious service attendance in 1991–2012.

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    Predicted margins—religious service attendance at least monthly by change in household income.

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    Predicted margins—life satisfaction (1–7) by monthly religious service attendance and change in household income.

Percentage of monthly religious service attendance in 1991–2012.

Predicted margins—religious service attendance at least monthly by change in household income.

Predicted margins—life satisfaction (1–7) by monthly religious service attendance and change in household income.
Index Card
Page Count:
328–349
Subjects:
History of Religion, Religious Studies, Religion & Society, Social Sciences
Copyright:
© 2017 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands 2017
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