Are Religious People More Prosocial? A Quasi-Experimental Study with Madrasah Pupils in a Rural Community in India

摘要

Using quasi-experimental data, this paper examines the relationship between religiosity andprosocial behavior. In contrast to previous studies which identify religious people by howoften they attend religious services or by their self-reported religiosity, this study comparesthe behavior of highly devout students who are preparing to enter the clergy, to the behaviorof other students in a public-goods game and in the dictator game. The results show thatreligious students were significantly more cooperative in the public-goods game andsignificantly more generous in the dictator game than other students.