Unpacking Nuances in Mechanisms Linking Religion and Socioeconomic Standing: An Empirical, Mixed‐Effects, and Cross‐National Analysis

Abstract

Recent research linking religion to various socioeconomic standing indicators has substantially increased our understanding of the processes by which religion creates and reproduces social inequalities. Yet, the bulk of empirical analyses in this literature estimate the link between religious affiliation and socioeconomic standing, while holding at the theoretical level personal religious beliefs that often shape the behaviors leading to differential socioeconomic standing. Drawing on the World Values Survey data collected over 2010–2014 and mixed‐effects regressions that account for country‐specific effects, I demonstrate that personal and exclusive religious beliefs are negatively associated with socioeconomic standing, independent of religious affiliation and 20 other competing explanatory factors. Results also show that religious exclusivism weakens positive associations between social capital and socioeconomic standing. I discuss the implication of these findings, emphasizing the need for empirical research to pay greater attention to personal religious beliefs when examining mechanisms linking religion and social inequalities.