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IZA
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Religion as a Determinant of Economic and Demographic Behavior in the United States
by
Evelyn L. Lehrer
(November 2004)
published in: Population and Development Review, 2004, 30 (4), 707-726
Abstract:
This paper critically reviews and synthesizes research on the role of religion on various
aspects of the economic and demographic behavior of individuals and families in the United
States, including the choice of marital partner, union formation and dissolution, fertility,
female time allocation, education, wages, and wealth. Using a theoretical framework based
on Gary Becker’s contributions to the economics of the family, religious affiliation is seen to
affect these outcomes because it has an impact on the costs and benefits of many
interrelated decisions that people make over the life cycle. In addition, for behaviors that
pertain to married couple households, affiliation matters because it is a complementary trait
within the context of marriage. Religiosity, another dimension of religion, also affects
economic and demographic outcomes, partly because it accentuates differences by religious
affiliation, partly because of the generally beneficial effects that religious involvement has on
health and well-being.
Text: See Discussion Paper No. 1390
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