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Amaan's avatar

How do economic downturn affect religiosity in countries with strong safety nets?

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Vivek Iyer's avatar

Religion is a service industry. If it focuses on providing 'normal'- i.e. income elastic- goods and services- it flourishes with rising prosperity. Hinduism used to be a 'Giffen good' for my class. If your income and life-chances shrank, you consumed more of it. If you became richer you became less observant. Then, suddenly, Religious goods and services were remarketed for a rising middle class. Going on pilgrimage was like going on holiday to a nice resort. I recall asking a Bihari shopkeeper in Delhi where the nearest temple was. He recommended the new Swaminarayan temple but mentioned that though it was very clean, still prayer there was efficacious. In other words, orthopraxy was no longer associated with dirt and beggars and flies.

What explains different income elasticities for religion in different regions is average family size. There is a consumption externality for family worship as opposed to individual observance.

It must be said, when things are utterly dire, demand for Religion collapses along with everything else. Such has not been the case almost everywhere during my lifetime.

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Wafa Hakim Orman's avatar

At the risk of sounding like Mao talking about the French Revolution, perhaps it is too soon to tell if secularism is a consequence of development across the board, or a phenomenon unique to Communist and Christian-majority countries?

The World Values Survey shows a decline in religiosity in many countries since 2007, but even that is heavily skewed towards Christian-majority countries, with the exception of Turkey and a couple more.

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Sep 26, 2023
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Amaan's avatar

I would disagree. Wealthy urban upper class as well as upper caste people are the most likely to vote for BJP (right wing religious party) in India: https://www.livemint.com/politics/news/where-did-the-bjp-get-its-votes-from-in-2019/amp-1559547933995.html

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Alice Evans's avatar

Good point, I deleted my comment. "Secular" was the wrong term.

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Amaan's avatar

I asked this question in other comment but I think you didn’t saw it so pasting this here again:

How do economic downturn affect religiosity in countries with strong social and financial safety nets like Northern European countries?

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