Does Wealth make you Secular?

Quick poll.

Modernisation Theory proposes that as societies become more affluent, they undergo a fundamental shift in values. Once people’s basic wants are satisfied, they become more secular, scientific and open-minded. Economic development is thought to encourage secularism - as in Latin America.

Louisa Roberts puts this to the test. Combining World Values Surveys and European Values Surveys, she analyses data from 100 countries from 1989 to 2020, examining severalvariables:

'Modern Social Conditions':

• GDP per capita

• Human Development Index

• Average years of schooling

• Percentage of urban population

Religiosity:

• Importance of God in one's life

• Importance of religion in one's life

• Frequency of religious service attendance

• Self-identification as religious

Using hierarchical models to analyse the data at individual, longitudinal, and cross-national levels, Roberts finds: