Update on Wellbeing and Religion

by Sylvie Shaw

A US study in December 2010 showed that people who are religious lead healthier lives. The study conducted by Gallup Poll showed that people who are 'very religious' are healthier than people who are less religious, or have no religion. 

The Gallup study by Newton et al. (2012) indicated that the scale used to determine what makes someone more or less religious (and thus more or less healthy?) is based on attendance at church or a self-reported assessment of religion. 

But Grace Davie (1990) in the U.K. has shown that not all believers actually attend church (believers not belongers), and that people may attend church for reasons other than belief such as social relationships (belongers not believers). Despite Davie's cogent observation, the Gallup research found that very religious people are healthier, do more exercise, eat better and smoke less than less religious or non religious individuals. 

But this may be the American situation with its stronger emphasis on religious adherence. The authors also suggest there may be other explanations for the results. 'It may also be possible that certain types of individuals are more likely to make healthy lifestyle choices and more likely to choose to be highly religious...Those who capitalize on the social and moral outcomes of religious norms and acts are more likely to lead lives filled with healthier choices' (Newton et al. 2012).

Perhaps there is a scholarly moral to this story. Take care to not assume that the American religion-scape is similar or comparable to Australia's diverse multifaithed society.

For information on the make-up of the American religio-scape, see the PEW website listing the religious affiliations of Americans, e.g. 23.9% Catholic; 26.3% Evangelical; Mainline Protestant 18.1%; Unaffiliated 16.1%. It also includes: 1.7% Mormon, 1.7% Jewish, 0.7% Buddhist, 0.6% Muslim and 0.4% Hindu.

References 

Davie G. 1990. Believing without belonging: Is this the future of religion in Britain? Social Compass 37(4): 455-469. 

Newton F., S. Agrawal, and D. Witters. 2012. Very religious Americans lead healthier lives. Relationship holds when controlling for key demographics. Gallup Wellbeing. Gallup, Inc. http://www.gallup.com/poll/145379/religious-americans-lead-healthier-lives.aspx
PEW. 2010. US religious landscape survey. The PEW Forum on Religion and Public Life. http://religions.pewforum.org/affiliations

Image source

http://pixabay.com/en/web-forest-church-pier-bridge-1677