Praying for a Recession: The Business Cycle and Protestant Religiosity in the United States

37 Pages Posted: 9 Mar 2008 Last revised: 22 Jan 2009

See all articles by David Beckworth

David Beckworth

Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Date Written: January 20, 2009

Abstract

Some observers believe the business cycle influences religiosity. This possibility is explored in this paper by empirically examining the relationship between macroeconomic conditions and religious participation by U.S. Protestants. The findings of this paper suggest that there is a strong countercyclical component to religious participation in evangelical Protestant denominations while for mainline Protestants there is on balance a procyclical component to religious participation.

Keywords: Religiosity, Church Attendance, Business Cycle, Economic Conditions, Recession, Yield Curve, Protestant Church Growth

JEL Classification: E32, J22

Suggested Citation

Beckworth, David, Praying for a Recession: The Business Cycle and Protestant Religiosity in the United States (January 20, 2009). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1103142 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1103142

David Beckworth (Contact Author)

Mercatus Center at George Mason University ( email )

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