Does Religion Foster Prejudice among Adherents of all World Religions? A Comparison across Religions

Abstract

The relation between religiousness and prejudice has been the topic of a large research literature, yet this was so far mostly limited to Western societies with a Christian heritage. Using global data from the 6th wave of the World Values Survey, this study compared the religiousness-prejudice relationship between adherents of monotheistic and non-monotheistic religions. Focusing on inter-religious prejudice we examined whether theological exclusivism moderated this relationship. Using multi-group structural equation modeling, no support was found for the expected divide between religious groups. Religious identity, belief, and practice each related differentially to prejudice across the religions. Exclusivism was more consistently negatively related to prejudice and moderated the relation with religious identity for Orthodox Christians and Buddhists. We conclude that religious attitudes or orientations (i.e., how people believe) are more important to understand prejudice towards religious others than religious traditions or multiple dimensions of religiosity (i.e., what and how strongly they believe).

Inter-Religious Social Prejudice among Indonesian Muslim Students

“…The inclinations to act aspect refers to a predisposition to discriminate against other group members, with discrimination being the acceptance or rejection of individuals based on their group membership. Numerous factors contribute to the formation of social prejudice, including cultural and political influences (Sarigili, 2018;Stewart, 2018), religious fundamentalism (Hill et al, 2010), religious ambivalence (Perry et al, 2015), psychosocial values, and social dominance orientation (Fernandes et al, 2007), personality traits (Koehn et al, 2019), and religiosity (Kollar & Fleischmann, 2022). These factors collectively shape the social infrastructure within which prejudice emerges and evolves.…”

“…Religiosity's impact on social prejudice is further emphasized in the work of Nashori (2023), aligning with a substantial body of research literature exploring the relationship between religiousness and prejudice (Kollar & Fleischmann, 2022). Religiosity is assessed through the constructs of mature religious sentiment, which encapsulates ethical behaviors, and Islamic knowledge about the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims.…”

Religiosity and electoral turnout among Muslims in Western Europe

“…There is a consensus within religious research that religiosity is multidimensional (Azabar et al, 2020;Ben-Nun Bloom et al, 2021;Glock, 1962;Voas, 2007). These dimensions can differ across religions, in meaning, expression, and how they are linked to various beliefs and behavior (Kollar and Fleischmann, 2022). The context within which one is religious can also impact the salience or meaning of various dimensions, such as the individualization of Islamic practice (Cesari, 2004;Fleischmann and Phalet, 2012).…”

Связь Субъективной Религиозности С Антииммигрантскими Установками В Европе: Анализ На Основе Данных Европейского Социального Исследования (ESS)

“…С одной стороны, высокая религиозность ин дивидов приводит к усилению антииммигрантских установок, поскольку этниче ское и религиозное отличие иммигрантов воспринимается как угроза собственной групповой идентичности. С другой стороны, соблюдение ключевых религиозных учений предполагает разделение альтруистических ценностей, в том числе содей ствие иммигрантам как группам, находящимся в тяжелом положении [Ben Nun Bloom, Arikan, Courtemanche, 2015;Ladini et al, 2021;Kollar, Fleischmann, 2022].…”