scholarly journals National religiosity eases the psychological burden of poverty

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (39) ◽  
pp. e2103913118
Author(s):  
Jana B. Berkessel ◽  
Jochen E. Gebauer ◽  
Mohsen Joshanloo ◽  
Wiebke Bleidorn ◽  
Peter J. Rentfrow ◽  
...  

Lower socioeconomic status (SES) harms psychological well-being, an effect responsible for widespread human suffering. This effect has long been assumed to weaken as nations develop economically. Recent evidence, however, has contradicted this fundamental assumption, finding instead that the psychological burden of lower SES is even greater in developed nations than in developing ones. That evidence has elicited consternation because it suggests that economic development is no cure for the psychological burden of lower SES. So, why is that burden greatest in developed nations? Here, we test whether national religiosity can explain this puzzle. National religiosity is particularly low in developed nations. Consequently, developed nations lack religious norms that may ease the burden of lower SES. Drawing on three different data sets of 1,567,204, 1,493,207, and 274,393 people across 156, 85, and 92 nations, we show that low levels of national religiosity can account for the greater burden of lower SES in developed nations. This finding suggests that, as national religiosity continues to decline, lower SES will become increasingly harmful for well-being—a societal change that is socially consequential and demands political attention.

2021 ◽  
pp. 026540752199075
Author(s):  
Emily F. Hittner ◽  
Claudia M. Haase

The present laboratory-based study investigated socioeconomic status (SES) as a moderator of the association between empathic accuracy and well-being among married couples from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Empathic accuracy was measured using a performance-based measure of empathic accuracy for one’s spouse’s negative emotions during a marital conflict conversation. Aspects of well-being included well-being (i.e., positive affect, life satisfaction), ill-being (i.e., negative affect, anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms), and marital satisfaction. SES was measured using a composite score of income and education. Findings showed that SES moderated associations between empathic accuracy and well-being. Empathic accuracy was beneficial (for well-being and ill-being) or not harmful (for marital satisfaction) at low levels of SES. In contrast, empathic accuracy was not beneficial (for well-being and ill-being) or harmful (for marital satisfaction) at high levels of SES. Results were robust (controlled for age, gender, and race). Findings are discussed in light of interdependence vs. independence in low- vs. high-SES contexts and highlight the importance of socioeconomic context in determining whether empathic accuracy benefits well-being or not.


2021 ◽  
pp. 0169796X2199685
Author(s):  
Svenn-Erik Mamelund ◽  
Jessica Dimka ◽  
Nan Zou Bakkeli

In the absence of vaccines to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 governments had to respond by rely on non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). Socioeconomic inequalities likely influenced the uptake of NPIs. Using Norwegian survey data, we study whether income was associated with increased handwashing, keeping 1 m distance, using facemasks increased use of home office, and less use of public transportation. Except for using facemasks and less public transportation in a non-work context, all analyzed NPIs showed an independent positive association with income. Social disparities in NPI uptake may be important drivers of higher risks of disease outcomes for people of lower socioeconomic status.


2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Courtney L Hundley ◽  
Richard W. Wilson ◽  
John Chenault ◽  
Jamie L. Smimble

This was an exploratory study to assess the association between density of fringe lenders (e.g.payday) and health status. For Louisville, Kentucky, ZIP code level data on hospitalizations and mortalityrates as health measures were compared to fringe bank locations. We found lower socioeconomic status(SES) positively correlated with greater frequency of fringe banks; rates of illness appear to be higher in ZIPcodes with more fringe banks, but this finding was not statistically significant. In conclusion, neighbor-hoods between higher frequencies of fringe banks appear to have poorer health; it is premature to rule in orrule out a direct or indirect association between neighborhood presence of fringe banks, but there is enoughevidence to justify additional research to put any conclusions on a firmer footing.


2003 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce Bolam ◽  
Darrin Hodgetts ◽  
Kerry Chamberlain ◽  
Simon Murphy ◽  
Kate Gleeson

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 2643-2647
Author(s):  
Dhwani.Prakash. Sidhpura ◽  
◽  
Satish Pimpale ◽  
Ajay Kumar ◽  
◽  
...  

Psihologija ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-215
Author(s):  
Spomenka Miskovic

This research attempts to explore conceptions of poverty and wealth typical for Belgrade schoolchildren in two different ages: 13,5 years and 17,5 years (total N=222). We identified the content and the structure of conceptions, as well as the age differences for every conception element. The criteria for identification that younger children used were: possessing, appearance, psychical characteristic and specific social group affiliation, while older children demonstrated social schemes of larger complexity and stated: general needs, evaluation of life, different ways of becoming rich or poor, describing life-styles. Relations between various explanations of poverty and wealth revealed the existence of one homogeneous structural component (blaming the system) as well as the presence of conditional non homogeneous individualistic one. Schoolchildren with higher socioeconomic status prefered individualistic (positive) explanations of wealth in comparison with children that had lower socioeconomic status. At the same time, we found no difference in using structuralistic explanations of poverty between schoolchildren who had different socioeconomic status. Parental level of education turned out to be irrelevant for social criticism.


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