Many times and across disciplines, religiousness has been proposed to positively influence ethical behavior, but empirical findings were often inconclusive or contradictory.
Following recent studies, this study discerns between religious beliefs, commitment as well as participation and conjectures that religious participation alone does not have an effect on ethical conduct, but only in interaction with religious beliefs or religious commitment. Furthermore it is proposed that religious people are stricter when it comes to misbehavior
in private contexts, but equally strict as non-religious people when the victim of that behavior is society. Using a large Dutch population sample, this study indicates that the effect of a religious attitude in terms of affection or cognition to be stronger when church services are attended regularly. In accordance with expectations, religious adherence and a strong religious commitment are found to have a significantly negative influence on the acceptance of unethical behavior. However, contrary to prior expectations, religious beliefs alone seem to have a positive impact on the willingness to justify certain transgressions. Looking at the victim of misbehavior, the results do not imply a general tendency that religious people discern more between misbehavior in private and in public contexts than non-religious people do.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction to religion and ethics
2 Hypotheses
2.1 For religious people only? Religious participation promotes moral behavior... except for non-believers
2.2 The impact of religiousness languishes when the victim is not thy neighbor, but thy society
3 Data description and summary statistics
3.1 Independent variables
3.2 Dependent variables
3.3 Control variables
4 Results
4.1 H1: Interaction between different religious dimensions
4.2 H2: Context-dependent judgments of unethical behavior
5 Conclusion
6 Discussion
7 References
A Previous studies
B Summary Statistics
C Regression results
Research Objectives and Themes
This thesis examines the relationship between religiousness—differentiated into belief, commitment, and participation—and ethical behavior, specifically investigating whether these dimensions interact to influence moral judgments and trust, and whether this influence varies depending on whether the target of unethical behavior is an individual or society at large.
- Multidimensional analysis of religiousness (belief, commitment, participation).
- Interaction effects of religious practice on ethical decision-making.
- Distinction between victim-specific (private) and society-harming (public) unethical conduct.
- Empirical evaluation using a large Dutch population sample.
- Assessment of trust and betrayal through trust-game experiments.
Excerpt from the Book
1 Introduction to religion and ethics
Though the discussion about the determinants of ethical decision making has been a constant area of interest within economics and business science for about 30 years (Kish-Gephart, Harrison, and Trevino, 2010), it has revived especially due to recent accounting scandals such as Enron and WorldCom as well as the recent financial crisis (Walker, Smither, and DeBode, 2012).
Although moral behavior may lead to losses in efficiency - such as paying higher wages -, ethical misconduct can also be costly for organizations in form of lost reputation and business, as well as for entire economies, for corruption dampens economic growth due to lower investments and misguided incentives (see, for example, Mauro, 1995). Generally, moral laws that enhance social cooperation can promote market efficiency and solve collective action problems (Uslaner, 1999; Shleifer, 2004). Thus, numerous studies investigated the factors that favor ethical decision-making. However, as moral behavior is a complex concept and its assessment difficult, the issue has not yet been resolved and research still struggles to reliably predict an individual’s ethical decision (Kish-Gephart, Harrison, and Trevino, 2010).
To elucidate the determining factors influencing moral decision making, Bommer, Gratto, Gravander, and Tuttle (1987) introduced a behavioral model that, among others, differentiated between social, work and legal environment, as well as individual factors, for instance demographic characteristics and status. In a similar approach, Trevino (1986) developed a ”person-situation interactionist” model that combined situational and individual moderators. Here, individual factors include ego-strength, field dependence and locus of control whereas the immediate job context, organizational culture and characteristics of the work are summarized as situational factors.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction to religion and ethics: Provides background on the study of ethical decision-making and introduces the multi-dimensional complexity of the religion-ethics relationship.
2 Hypotheses: Formulates two main hypotheses concerning the interaction of religious dimensions and the context-dependency of unethical behavior judgments.
3 Data description and summary statistics: Details the dataset from the Dutch LISS panel and defines the independent, dependent, and control variables used in the analysis.
4 Results: Presents the empirical findings from Probit and OLS regressions, analyzing the hypothesized interactions and context-dependent judgments.
5 Conclusion: Summarizes the study’s findings, suggesting limited support for the proposed hypotheses while highlighting the ambiguity of results across different dependent variables.
6 Discussion: Reflects on the implications of the study, acknowledges limitations regarding sample representation and variable measurement, and offers directions for future research.
Keywords
Religiousness, Ethical Behavior, Moral Decision-Making, Religious Participation, Religious Commitment, Religious Beliefs, Trust, Betrayal, Unethical Conduct, Probit Regression, Social Cooperation, Institutional Incentives, Dutch Population Sample, Moral Sensitivity, Corporate Social Responsibility
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research investigates the relationship between various dimensions of religiousness—specifically beliefs, commitment, and participation—and an individual's ethical behavior, focusing on how these factors interact.
What are the primary themes addressed?
Key themes include the multidimensionality of religious identity, the influence of religious practice on moral behavior, and the distinction between ethical judgments concerning individual victims versus society at large.
What is the main objective or research question?
The primary objective is to clarify whether religious dimensions interact (e.g., whether participation amplifies beliefs) to influence ethical conduct and whether religious people judge unethical behavior differently depending on the victim's social context.
Which scientific methods are utilized?
The study utilizes empirical analysis based on Probit and OLS regression models applied to a large Dutch population sample (LISS panel) and incorporates results from experimental trust games.
What is covered in the main section?
The main section details the behavioral models of ethics, the development of specific testable hypotheses, a rigorous description of variables, and an extensive presentation of regression results.
Which keywords characterize this work?
The work is characterized by terms such as religiousness, ethical behavior, moral decision-making, trust, betrayal, and regression analysis.
How does church attendance influence the findings?
The study finds that church attendance often acts as a catalyst; the relationship between religious beliefs or commitment and ethical judgment becomes more pronounced when coupled with regular participation.
Did the study confirm that religious people are stricter regarding public vs. private behavior?
The results provided only limited support for this; while there are some indications of differences, the data did not confirm a general tendency for religious individuals to consistently differentiate between private and public ethical transgressions more than non-religious individuals.
- Quote paper
- Maximiliane Brecht (Author), 2014, Religiousness and Ethical Behavior, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/300165
