Impact Of Religiosity Research Articles

Factors affecting consumers’ participation in consumption tax evasion

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the extent to which consumers recognize participation in consumption tax evasion (CTE) as an ethical issue and the impact of moral recognition on consumer intention to participate. It also explores the role of religiosity and attitude toward government in the ethical decision-making process of consumers.Design/methodology/approachThe model was tested using the structural equation modeling approach over 128 responses collected through the mail survey.FindingsThe results of the study suggest that attitude towards government and religiosity influences the consumers’ intention to participate in CTE. The negative attitude toward government enhances the intention to participate in CTE. Religiosity negatively influences the intention to participate in CTE and makes people recognize participation in CTE as a moral issue.Research limitations/implicationsThere is a need to explore the impact of other factors such as social norms and personality traits on the consumer decision-making to participate in CTE.Practical implicationsThis study indicates that the even when people recognize participation in CTE as morally wrong, they do not have intentions to avoid such behavior because of their attitude toward government. Governments need to improve their image among consumers to reduce CTE. Also, there is a need to launch social marketing campaigns to move consumers from just recognizing moral issues in CTE to forming intentions to resolve those issues.Originality/valueEarlier studies have explored the moral issue related to tax evasion in a context where an individual has directly participated in such an act, whereas this study explores the ethical aspect in the situation where consumers play an indirect role in tax evasion, i.e. CTE. In the context of participation in CTE, this study points out that the consumers recognize their indirect participation in CTE as a moral issue, but they lack the intention to curb such behavior. Further, no earlier study has explored the impact of religiosity and attitude toward government in such indirect participation in tax evasion.

Australian Muslim women and fitness choices – myths debunked

PurposeThe purpose of this paper was to better understand the underrepresentation of Muslim women living in Australia in physical activity and in group-fitness classes in particular. The authors contend that the Australian fitness industry has ignored the needs of this group through stereotypical islamophobic views focusing on religious dictates as the prime barrier for participation of this group. This study debunks this myth showing that motivations for exercise are complex and multi-faceted.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted interviews and a focus group with 27 Muslim women living in Australia. Through this method, the authors explored the role of religiosity and national culture in attitudes towards participation in exercise, gym attendance and group fitness classes.FindingsThe authors confirmed that while religion impacted the form and place of exercise options, it did not impact the overall motivation to engage in exercise. This study found that group-fitness classes offered by gyms did not particularly appeal to this group of women, partially due to their religion (this form of exercise being too aggressive and immodest) and partially due to their ethnic background. Exercise options that were more social were favoured. The authors found that notions of femininity and culturally embedded expectations for the role of women were more powerful predictors of exercise engagement and choice of exercise type.Research limitations/implicationsThis research is exploratory in nature and as such its findings are restricted to the small sample. To extend this study’s implications, a larger empirical study should be conducted and needs to also consider the intersection between national culture and religiosity on decision-making.Practical implicationsThis study has practical implications for the fitness industry attempting to attractive new markets in a multi-cultural population. To attract Muslim women, gyms and fitness centres need to consider providing appropriate areas for women to exercise that allow them to maintain their modesty. To attract this segment, fitness products that are focused on a holistic approach to wellness and highlight opportunities for social interaction should be developed. Focusing on this group as a market segment needs to include a broader contextualisation of their lifestyles and individual situations and should not just focus on their religion.Social implicationsThe requirements of the Muslim religion for women to adopt conservative dress and to avoid contact with men do hinder their ability and also their desire to exercise to maintain a healthy mind and body. Many of these women would like to exercise but find it difficult to find the right settings and form of exercise that suits their needs. Engaging in exercise with others is also an important way for these women to integrate into their communities and to assimilate with the national culture.Originality/valueThis research is original in that it is one of the first to explore attitudes of Muslim women towards exercise and group-fitness classes in Australia. In particular, it includes an examination of the impact of religiosity on motivations and attitudes towards fitness and is the first to consider the relationship between religion, ethnic background and notions of femininity in the context of fitness. The influence of religiosity is an area heavily impacted by cultural bias and stereotyping, and it is therefore important for a deeper understanding of this issue in the services domain.

Randomizing Religion: The Impact of Protestant Evangelism on Economic Outcomes

We study the causal impact of religiosity through a randomized evaluation of an evangelical Protestant Christian values and theology education program delivered to thousands of ultra-poor Filipino households. Six months after the program ended, treated households have higher religiosity and income; no statistically significant differences in total labor supply, consumption, food security, or life satisfaction; and lower perceived relative economic status. Exploratory analysis suggests that the income treatment effect may operate through increasing grit. Thirty months after the program ended, significant differences in the intensity of religiosity disappear, but those in the treatment group are less likely to be Catholic and more likely to be Protestant, and there is some mixed evidence that their consumption and perceived relative economic status are higher. We conclude that this church-based program may represent a method of increasing non-cognitive skills and reducing poverty among adults in developing countries.

LOVE OF MONEY, GENDER, RELIGIOSITY: THE IMPACT ON ETHICAL PERCEPTIONS OF FUTURE PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANTS

Accountants are either directly or indirectly partly responsible for corporate frauds, so it is important to know the underlying reasons why such unethical behavior occurred. This study aims to analyze the moderation impact of religiosity and gender on the relation between love of money with student’s ethical perception. There were 144 questionnaires from accounting students. As hypothesized, the results of the study revealed love of money have a negative impact to student’s ethical perception. The interaction between intrinsic religiosity and love of money are able to weaken the negative effect of love of money to student’s ethical perception, however the extrinsic religiosity is vice versa. Gender has no significant effect on love of money relationship with ethical perception.

Impact of Religiosity on Subjective Life Satisfaction and Perceived Academic Stress in Undergraduate Pharmacy Students.

Objective:To evaluate the impact of religiosity on subjective life satisfaction and perceived academic stress in undergraduate pharmacy students.Materials and Methods:This 1-month descriptive study focused on pharmacy students of a public-sector university and used three survey questionnaires. The questionnaires included: the Duke University Religion Index to assess religiosity, Subjective Happiness Scale for documenting subjective happiness of life, and Perceived Stress Scale for evaluation of perceived stress due to academic load. The data were analyzed through Statistical Package for Social Services software, version 22. Chi-square test, Pearson’s correlation, and logistic regression were used. Study was exempted from ethical review.Result:Subjective happiness was positively (+) correlated with non-organized religious activity and intrinsic religiosity (P < 0.01). Perceived stress score reported negative (–) correlation with organized religious activity (P < 0.05). Female students appeared more stressed (P < 0.05).Conclusion:Religiosity may enhance life satisfaction and may relieve academic stress in pharmacy students.

Impact of Religiosity and Culture on Salesperson Job Satisfaction and Performance

This research is a multinational study of the effect of religiosity on salespeople’s attitudes about their jobs, even after controlling for cross-cultural differences and the particular management practices in their sales organizations. We theorize moderator effects between religiosity and the salespeople’s traits and attitudes, as well as interactive effects between organizational factors and the cultures in which the firms are embedded. We test the effects of these joint culture and religiosity influences on multiple facets of job satisfaction and find support for our hypotheses. We also demonstrate financial consequences for both individual salespeople and their sales organizations. We test these effects in a survey of salespeople working in 38 countries operating in diverse industries.

Traditional cultural values vs. religiosity: Saudi female purchase intention of Turkish Islamic fashion

The purpose of this study was to examine Saudi female attitude and purchase intention toward Turkish Islamic fashion from both the cultural and religious perspectives. A total of 204 women were surveyed. Data was collected in the capital city of Saudi Arabia and assessed using a structural equation model. The findings revealed that the attitude toward Turkish Islamic fashion is slightly positive while the purchase intention is almost neutral. The results also exhibited the positive impact of religiosity and traditional cultural values upon attitude toward Turkish Islamic fashion. Likewise, attitude toward Turkish Islamic fashion and traditional cultural values had significant positive impacts on purchase intention.

Traditional cultural values vs. religiosity: Saudi female purchase intention of Turkish Islamic fashion

The purpose of this study was to examine Saudi female attitude and purchase intention toward Turkish Islamic fashion from both the cultural and religious perspectives. A total of 204 women were surveyed. Data was collected in the capital city of Saudi Arabia and assessed using a structural equation model. The findings revealed that the attitude toward Turkish Islamic fashion is slightly positive while the purchase intention is almost neutral. The results also exhibited the positive impact of religiosity and traditional cultural values upon attitude toward Turkish Islamic fashion. Likewise, attitude toward Turkish Islamic fashion and traditional cultural values had significant positive impacts on purchase intention.

Love of money, gender, religiosity: The impact on ethical perceptions of future professional accountants

Accountants are either directly or indirectly partly responsible for corporate frauds, so it is important to know the underlying reasons why such unethical behavior occurred. This study aims to analyze the moderation impact of religiosity and gender on the relation between love of money with student’s ethical perception. There were 144 questionnaires from accounting students. As hypothesized, the results of the study revealed love of money have a negative impact to student’s ethical perception. The interaction between intrinsic religiosity and love of money are able to weaken the negative effect of love of money to student’s ethical perception, however the extrinsic religiosity is vice versa. Gender has no significant effect on love of money relationship with ethical perception.

THE IMPACT OF RELIGIOSITY, AND SUSTAINABILITY AWARENESS ON CAMPUS IMPACT SUSTAINABILITY

This paper provides an insight on the impact of religiosity and sustainability awareness on the campus impact sustainability. The nature of this study was to explore the relationships, and using the survey questionnaire for primary data collection. The research question for this research was “Do religiosity and sustainability awareness affecting the campus impact sustainability?” Convenience sampling technique was applied to sample more than 150 students at the Faculty of Business, Economics, and Accountancy, in Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). Adaptation of three different questionnaires were used to construct the questionnaire of this research. General measures of religiosity refer to its intensity, salience, and importance in the individuals, and mostly are self-report on single item on the subjective importance of religion or the salience of religious identity. For better measurement in religiosity, the authors have adopted the Centrality of Religiosity Scale (CRS) questionnaire developed by Stefan Huber and Odilo W. Huber. The Scale is a set of 15 items measurement on centrality, importance or salience of religious meanings in personality. Four questions were developed to measure the awareness and concern of students about the environmental sustainability. Third part of the questionnaire is a 26-items questionnaire by McNulty. Apart from it, the authors have also included several demographic factors to investigate whether the gender and parent’s education level would influence the variables.Â

Impact of Religiosity, Africentric Values and Psychological Distress on Adolescent Suicidal Ideation in Ghana

Impact of Religiosity, Africentric Values and Psychological Distress on Adolescent Suicidal Ideation in Ghana

Explaining differences in gender role attitudes among migrant and native adolescents in Germany: intergenerational transmission, religiosity, and integration

ABSTRACTThis study examines gender role attitudes of native and migrant adolescents in Germany and attempts to explain why adolescents of Turkish, former Yugoslavian, and Eastern European origin tend to have more traditional attitudes than their native peers. In order to do so, it combines a migrant–native comparative approach that highlights the impact of religiosity and host society integration with an intergenerational transmission perspective that emphasises the continuity of gender role attitudes across generations. The empirical analysis relies on dyadic parent–adolescent data (N = 2744) from the first wave of the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Survey in Four European Countries. It demonstrates the importance of incorporating intergenerational transmission processes to fully understand attitude differences between natives and migrants: a substantial part of native–migrant gaps in gender role attitudes can be attributed to migrant parents’ more traditional attitudes and a strong transmission of attitudes across generations. Once intergenerational transmission and the influence of religiosity and integration have been accounted for, the remaining differences between gender role attitudes of native and migrant adolescents are small.

The Impact of Religiosity on Substance Abuse and Obesity in African Americans.

Among the African American community, there exist many health disparities which warrant greater examination through the practice of social work. The aim of the present research was to explore the impact of religiosity on substance abuse and obesity among African American populations by employing a systematic review of the current body of literature on this subject. While many of the studies reviewed found at least a weak relationship between religiosity and obesity, such results were not consistent across all materials examined. Among those studies that found a correlation between these factors, many demonstrated that religiosity had a positive impact on substance abuse and obesity. A discussion of the implications of these findings is submitted as a means of illuminating the significance of all research findings that were examined. Limitations such as more standardized criteria for inclusion of research material are identified and discussed. Implications for future research are presented to promote the advancement of future efforts in this area research.

Islamic religiosity and portfolio allocation: the Malaysian context

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the association between Muslim individuals’ portfolio allocation choice and Islamic religiosity (levels and dimensions), controlling for risk tolerance and sociodemographic factors.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses primary data collected via survey questionnaires from a sample of 751 Muslim working individuals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Owing to the ordinal nature of the dependent variable, which reflects the levels of proportions of risky assets in portfolios, the data were analyzed using an ordered probit regression model.FindingsThe findings reveal that Islamic religiosity levels in general were insignificantly related to portfolio allocation, but that two dimensions of religiosity (virtue and obligation) significantly impact the allocations of risky assets in the portfolio. The higher the level of virtue, the lower the propensity to allocate risky assets into the portfolio. On the contrary, the higher the level of obligation, the higher the propensity to allocate risky assets in the portfolio. Meanwhile, individuals with higher risk tolerance, income and education levels show greater propensity to allocate risky assets in the portfolio.Research limitations/implicationsThe sample is restricted to Muslims in Kuala Lumpur; hence, the findings are not easily generalized to Muslim investors in general. Findings may differ between Muslims across the world, so future research needs to expand from a country specific to an international analysis. In addition, future studies could include other determinants of portfolio allocation, such as financial literacy.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study may assist financial planners and policymakers to better understand the drivers of portfolio allocation among their Muslim clients.Originality/valueWhile other studies have tended to focus on the impact of religiosity on the holdings of specific financial assets, such as Islamic bank accounts or Takaful, the present study explores the effect of Islamic religiosity dimensions on the allocations of risky assets in the portfolio. The study also develops an ordinal measure of portfolio allocation and makes a methodological contribution by using an ordered probit regression analysis.

The impact of religiosity on corporate loans and maturity structure: evidence from China

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the relation between religiosity and formal financing in the context of long- and short-term corporate loans.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses archival methodology to conduct a multiple regression analysis with the amount of long- and short-term corporate loans as the dependent variable and a measure of religiosity as the key explanatory variable.FindingsThis paper offers four findings. First, when a private firm locates in a high religiosity region, it is more likely to get more corporate loans and the amount of corporate loans is positively correlated with the extent of religiosity. Second, religiosity drives a private firm getting more (less) short-term (long-term) loans. Third, a private firm in a high religiosity region is able to incur lower interest cost associated with more short-term loans. Finally, the results are confined to Buddhism, Taoism and Christianity.Practical implicationsOverall, the findings are consistent with the notion that religiosity shapes the local culture so that individuals, some of them are borrowers and lenders, show the religious traits in the formal lending and borrowing relationship.Originality/valueOverall, findings of this paper are consistent with the notion that religiosity shapes the local culture so that individuals, some of them being borrowers and lenders, show religious traits in the formal lending and borrowing relationship.

Influence of religiosity on self-reported response to psychological therapies

ABSTRACTThere is a lack of research exploring the influence of religious or spiritual beliefs on response to psychological therapies. Our aims were to confirm the positive relationship between religiosity and psychological wellbeing, and investigate the potential synergistic impact of religiosity on self-reported response to psychological therapies. Participants were 118 adults (33 male, 85 female) aged 18 to 78 (M = 40.01, SD = 15.41); data was collected via online survey. Religious and psychological variables were assessed using a range of standard measures including the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale, the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale, and the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale. Atheists reported less psychological distress and increased personal wellbeing; participants with higher levels of religiosity experienced greater ongoing benefits from therapy in domains of coping and social functioning. Results suggest that mental health practitioners should consider the religious/spiritual beliefs and behaviours of their clients in their interventions.

Donating Time or Money? The Effects of Religiosity and Social Capital on Civic Engagement in Qatar

Few studies have examined the role of religiosity and social capital on civic engagement in the context of a Muslim country. In this paper, we explore the impact of religiosity and social capital on charitable donations and volunteerism in Qatar. Drawing on a nationally representative survey from Qatar, we consider various attitudinal and behavioral measures for capturing religiosity and social capital. The results indicate that, even after controlling for a wide range of demographic variables, behavioral measures have a stronger effect than attitudes. Individuals who regularly perform daily prayers are more likely to donate than those individuals who simply describe themselves as religious. Similarly, individuals who are more active in their neighborhood engagement are more likely to volunteer than those who merely report high levels of social trust. These results suggest that when it comes to the relationship between religiosity, social capital and civic engagement, individual behavior is much more predictive than attitudes alone. We also find that even in the case of Qatar, where citizen wealth has rapidly increased in the last few decades, there is little evidence of substitution effects: citizens do not appear to trade-off or substitute between time and money. Instead, more religious and active citizens are likely to do both.

Religiousness and digital piracy among young consumers in an emerging market

PurposeOnline digital piracy continues to rise globally. The issue is worsening among young people especially in the context of emerging markets due to lack of laws and regulations. Interestingly, emerging markets are also home to some of the highest religious followers. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of young consumer’s religiousness on their attitude and intention towards digital piracy which should negate their tendency to pirate.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from Indonesia (N = 715) by means of questionnaires distributed to business students at two major (one public and one private) Indonesian universities. The sample consists of 289 (40.4 per cent) males and 426 females (59.6 per cent). The student sample contained a majority of people who were aged 18 to 24 years (94.1 per cent).FindingsThe current study shows that intrinsic religiousness is a strong predictor of attitude towards digital piracy, intention to commit digital piracy, perceived benefits of digital piracy, perceived likelihood of punishment and fear of legal consequences. Extrinsic (social) religiousness was found to have a negative impact on perceived likelihood of punishment and fear of legal consequences. The results of this study will have several important implications for managers and especially religious leaders on how to combat digital piracy.Originality/valueThis is one of the first few studies exploring the impact of religiosity among young consumers in Indonesia.

Religiosity vs. well-being effects on investor behavior

Does religiosity impact the trading of securities in financial markets? We separate two channels that could affect investor behavior, disentangling a religiosity effect from a well-being effect. Our original identification strategy compares the stock market reaction to sukuk and bond issuance during the holy month of Ramadan, allowing for a differentiated stock market reaction to the religious component of a trade. Using the event study methodology, we measure abnormal returns for a sample of 2140 issuances by 133 issuers in Malaysia over the period 2000–2013. While we find evidence for both channels, sukuk issuance during Ramadan is valued more positively than bond issuance by stock market investors. Further, the positive reaction to sukuk issuance during Ramadan only rewards firms which issue sukuk exclusively. Our findings support the view that religiosity influences the behavior of investors, suggesting that this factor should be taken into account in the analysis of financial markets.

Does ethics need religion? Evaluating the importance of religiosity in consumer ethics

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate the importance of religiosity in consumer ethics. This objective will be achieved by investigating the impact of intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity on consumer ethics, and segmenting consumers’ religiosity and explore differences between each segment.Design/methodology/approachThe surveys were distributed to undergraduate students, their friends and members of their immediate families, through a large public university in Australia. Of 700 paper questionnaires, participants returned 651. Incomplete surveys with too many missing values were removed from the sample. Of these, 517 were usable, yielding a response rate of 74 per cent. Singles accounted for 53.9 per cent of the sample, followed by married people (26.8 per cent). Of the respondents, 49.9 per cent were men. The majority of respondents were between 18 and 24 years old (52 per cent), followed by 15-34 years (16.4 per cent). Finally, most respondents had an income level of less than $20,000 (36.6 per cent) followed by $21,000-$40,000 (20.5 per cent) and $41,000-$61,000 (19.7 per cent). Overall, despite being dominated by younger consumers, the sample is relatively representative of the entire adult population of Australia.FindingsThe results show that both intrinsic and extrinsic religiosity had an impact on consumers’ ethical beliefs. Moreover, the results show significant differences between the two segments studied. The religious segment was more likely than the non-religious segment to reject various unethical beliefs, but no significant differences were found in the behavioural dimensions of recycling and doing good deeds.Originality/valueThis is one of the first few studies to explore the impact of religiosity on consumer ethics in Australia. The results of this study have several implications for academic researchers, religious leaders and managers working in the area of consumer ethics.