Religiosity and non-egalitarianism

There is evidence that belief in all-powerful spiritual authorities may generalize to acceptance of hierarchy and rulers’ authority in society. If religiosity encourages subservience to rulers, it may promote social and political inequality. The current research examined this proposition and its implications for the relation of religiosity and egalitarian values (democracy) with subjective well-being. The results of two preliminary studies showed a strong relation between religiosity and non-egalitarian ideology (Social Dominance Orientation). Using data from The World Values Survey and other sources, Study 1 (N = 99,389) indicated that individual religiosity is more strongly related to greater well-being in less democratic countries, and support for democratic values is more strongly associated with greater well-being in less religious countries. Using U.S. state-level data, Study 2 (N = 70,646) indicated that the religiosity-SWB relationship was stronger in less democratic states.