Two Sides of a Medal: the Changing Relationship between Religious Diversity and Religiosity
Religious Market Theory assigns basic market principles to the market for religion. The derived supply-side model proposes that religiosity is higher on a competitive market, characterized by high religious diversity. Churches will provide higher quality goods compared to monopolistic churches. The demand-side model, originating from the Secularization Hypothesis, suggests that the establishment of new churches casts doubt on the existing religion, which reduces overall religiosity. I find a negative linear relationship between religious diversity and religiosity which supports the demand-side model. However, high levels of income and democracy mitigate this effect. For high levels of education and immigration, the relationship even turns to positive. The demand-side model seems to dominate in less-developed countries. This effect appears to vanish in the most industrialized countries.
Year of publication: |
2014
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Authors: | Opfinger, Matthias |
Published in: |
Review of Social Economy. - Taylor & Francis Journals, ISSN 0034-6764. - Vol. 72.2014, 4, p. 523-548
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Publisher: |
Taylor & Francis Journals |
Saved in:
Online Resource
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