The Easier Life Is, the Less Religious People Are: New Pew Report

The safer and wealthier people are, the less interest they have in religion. 

That’s the conclusion of a new study by the Pew Research Centre.

In a survey of more than 100 countries and territories over the last decade, Pew found that countries that are rich and at peace are less religious than countries that are poor or at war.

The countries where people say religion is very important in their lives are found in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia and Latin America.

Countries where people have less interest in religion are in Europe, North America, East Asia and Australia.

And why would that be?

It’s pretty simple, actually. If you aren’t always worried about dying unexpectedly due to war, disaster or disease, it’s easier to push thoughts about God, mortality and the afterlife from your mind.

In fact, research by Pew has found a clear correlation between life expectancy and attendance at religious services—the longer you expect to live, the less interest you have in religion.

Researchers call this phenomenon “existential insecurity,” the degree of safety and security people feel as they go about their daily lives.

To put it another way, in countries where people face a constant threat of premature death, and where they feel they little or no control over what happens in their lives, they find religion to be a source of hope and security.

When everything is chaotic, then at least they can believe that God is in charge and knows what is going on—even if they don’t.

Conversely, in countries where most people feel safe and secure—a place like Canada—they feel they need less support from religion or reliance on God to provide an explanation for what it happening to comfort about the unknown.

Which leads to the obvious question: Can unexpected insecurity, such as might occur in a natural disaster, increase religious commitment?

There is evidence that suggests the answer is yes.

After 9/11, the U.S. had an increase in attendance at religious services. Another study found that 67% of people living in the U.S. gulf coast expressed more interest in religion after Hurricane Katrina.

But scientifically, it’s hard to draw a good conclusion with a set group of people. Since it’s impossible to anticipate a disaster, you can’t do a before-and-after survey.

But there is one place where that happened: New Zealand.

In February, 2011, that country experienced an earthquake that killed 185 people and caused thousands of injuries. 

It took place between the 2009 and 2011 phases of the New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study, a national longitudinal survey.

Researchers who compared levels of religious affiliation before and after the quake discovered that people in the hardest-hit areas became more interested in religion, while the country at large became less religious.

According to the researchers, there was a “significant” and “remarkable” increase in interest in religion among those affected by the earthquake.

The survey also found that economic inequality is correlated with higher levels of religious commitment. Societies with very unequal distribution of income tend to be more religious, while those who live in relatively egalitarian societies say religion is less important.

In addition to measuring religiosity in various countries, Pew also looked at differences between how younger and older people view religion. 

In 46 out of 106 countries survey, people ages 18 to 39 are less likely than those ages 40 and older to say religion is very important to them.

According to Pew, this is true for in developing countries as well as advanced industrial economies, in Muslim-majority nations as well as predominantly Christian states, and in societies that are highly religious as well as those that are comparatively secular.

Countries where the gap in religiosity between young and old is widest are in Europe and North America, with Canada having one of the largest gaps.

There is much more in the Pew report, but the overall impression is hard to miss: The safer, richer, more secure people are, the less religious they become.

Concludes Pew: “Regardless of how religious commitment or prosperity are measured, the general pattern holds: Religious commitment is lower in places where life is easier. 

 “And in places where life is steadily becoming easier . . . younger adults generally are less religious than their parents’ and grandparents’ generations.”

Find the entire Pew report here.