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Cited by 198Culture, Economy, and Development StudiesReligion and Society InteractionsIncome, Poverty, and Inequality

Conservative Protestants and Wealth: How Religion Perpetuates Asset Poverty

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Keister, Lisa A.·2008·American Journal of Sociology
DOI 10.1086/525506
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Abstract

The association between cultural orientation and material outcomes is fundamental to sociology research. This article contributes to the understanding of this relationship by exploring how religious affiliation affects wealth ownership for conservative Protestants (CPs). The results demonstrate that religion affects wealth indirectly through educational attainment, fertility, and female labor force participation. The results also provide evidence of a direct effect of religion on wealth. Low rates of asset accumulation and unique economic values combine to reduce CP wealth beyond the effects of demographics. The findings improve understanding of the relationship between religious beliefs and inequality.

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  • Religious upbringing is associated with wealth; Jews accumulate more than otherwise similar mainline Protestants and Catholics, who accumulate more than conservative Protestants.

    “Religious upbringing is also associated with wealth, with Jews accumulating more wealth than otherwise similar mainline Protestants and Catholics, who in turn accumulate more than conservative Protestants (Keister 2003b, 2007, 2008).”

    From Wealth Inequality and Accumulation (2017) · cites this paper as Keister 2008

    The Results (page not provided) report that people raised in conservative Protestant families had significantly fewer adult assets than those raised in Catholic and mainline Protestant families after controls. The Conclusion says people born in Jewish families tend to have relatively high net worth, but it does not establish that they have more wealth than otherwise similar Catholics and mainline Protestants. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 33

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  10. Greene, William. 2003. Econometric Analysis. 5th ed. New York: Prentice Hall.
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  14. Keister, Lisa A. 2000. Wealth in America: Trends in Wealth Inequality. New York: Cambridge University Press.
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  19. Oliver, Melvin O., and Thomas M. Shapiro. 1995. Black Wealth/White Wealth. New York: Routledge.
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Authors
Keister, L. A.
Affiliations
Duke University (US)
Corresponding author
Keister, Lisa A.
ORCID
Keister, Lisa A.
Venue
American Journal of Sociology
Publisher
University of Chicago Press
Published
2008-03
Volume
113
Issue
5
Pages
1237-1271
ISSN
  • 0002-9602 (ISSN-L)
  • 1537-5390
DOI
10.1086/525506
OpenAlex
W1986834833
Cited by
198
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 28 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 15
FWCI
21.37
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
American Journal of Sociology (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University
  • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
  • Center for Advanced Study, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Demography › Culture, Economy, and Development Studies
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Religion and Society Interactions
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Income, Poverty, and Inequality
Keywords
conservative Protestants, religious affiliation, wealth inequality, asset poverty, wealth accumulation, educational attainment, fertility, female labor force participation, economic value, cultural orientation

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