Testing the Supply‐Side Theory of Religion in Sub‐Saharan Africa

The supply‐side theory of religion predicts that religious monopolies reduce levels of popular religious participation. While developed, debated, and most frequently tested in the context of Western Christian democratic states and to a lesser extent Muslim‐majority countries, little attention has been given to its relevance to Sub‐Saharan Africa. We seek to fill this gap. Using data from the Religion and State project round 4 (RAS4) and the Afrobarometer, we present multidimensional tests of the influence of government religious support (GRS) and governmental religious discrimination (GRD) applied to a region generally recognized as one of the world's most actively religious. Our findings show that GRS in particular and GRD to a lesser extent predict lower levels of attendance at religious services in Sub‐Saharan Africa. This both confirms key aspects of the supply‐side theory and challenges critiques asserting its limited applicability beyond the West.