Religion und Bildungserfolg in Westdeutschland unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von Diasporaeffekten

Abstract

Current research on the relevance of religious affiliation for educational success is scarce in Germany. We address this gap and look at differences among Protestants, Catholics, and Muslims regarding educational success. We focus on West Germany, where both Christian denominations are more or less equal in size overall, but with strong regional variations. According to relevant literature, differences in educational success by religion might be due to specific values and beliefs, or minority status (diaspora), yet parts of the population in a diaspora might be highly selective due to spatial mobility. Muslims might be less successful, as the Islamic religion is seen as a “bright boundary” in the German context, which impedes assimilation. To test these hypotheses, we use data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) collected between 1997 and 2011. The dependent variable is enrolment in the most prestigious secondary school type (“Gymnasium”) at the ages of 13 to 16. We use linear probability models to estimate school attendance with fixed effects for districts. Altogether, Catholics, Protestants, and Muslims do not differ in educational success if we control for parents' socioeconomic status. In the case of the two Christian denominations, belonging to a regional minority leads to higher success. There are strong hints that this is caused by parents' spatial mobility.