A new report from Pew Research Center analyzed the relationship between religious observance and wealth, and found the United States has a lot in common with countries across the world.
The report analyzed the relationship between gross domestic product per capita and how often people say they pray daily in the country.
The report found the U.S. has a GDP per capita at $56,000 in 2015 with 55 percent of people saying they pray every day.
The U.S. is the only country listed above average in both categories.
The U.S. compares well to Tanzania and Bolivia in terms of daily prayer, but closer to a country like Norway when it comes to GDP, according to the report.
As Quartz noted, the Pew analysis is based on whether people say they pray, not whether they actually do. Americans, therefore, might not be outliers in actual prayer, but in how much they feel the need to lie about it.
Rising education levels have been tied to economic development, according to Pew. Other theorists believe education could also reduce religious identity and practice, too.
In societies where access to education is spreading and the average number of years of schooling is rising, younger generations tend to receive more education than their parents and grandparents did, the report said. Directly or indirectly, this increase in education could be part of why younger adults are less religious.
The report analyzed the relationship between gross domestic product per capita and how often people say they pray daily in the country.
The report found the U.S. has a GDP per capita at $56,000 in 2015 with 55 percent of people saying they pray every day.
The U.S. is the only country listed above average in both categories.
The U.S. compares well to Tanzania and Bolivia in terms of daily prayer, but closer to a country like Norway when it comes to GDP, according to the report.
As Quartz noted, the Pew analysis is based on whether people say they pray, not whether they actually do. Americans, therefore, might not be outliers in actual prayer, but in how much they feel the need to lie about it.
Rising education levels have been tied to economic development, according to Pew. Other theorists believe education could also reduce religious identity and practice, too.
In societies where access to education is spreading and the average number of years of schooling is rising, younger generations tend to receive more education than their parents and grandparents did, the report said. Directly or indirectly, this increase in education could be part of why younger adults are less religious.
