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An examination of the charitable giving behavior of 16,442 households reveals intriguing patterns consistent with the club-theoretic approach to religious sect affiliation. The club-theoretic model suggests that individuals with lower socioeconomic standing will rationally be more likely to align themselves with exclusivistic sects. Because sect affiliation is also associated with more obligatory religious contributions, this approach generates novel predictions not anticipated by standard economic models of charitable behavior. Traditional analysis of charitable giving can mask the 'sect effect' phenomenon, as low-income giving is dwarfed by the giving of the wealthy. However, the application of a two-stage econometric model--separating the participation decision from the subsequent decision regarding the level of gifting--provides unique insights. Basic socioeconomic factors have significant and opposite associations with different categories of giving, calling into question the treatment of charitable giving as a homogenous activity and supporting the understanding of sect affiliation, and potentially religious extremism, as rational choice phenomena.

This study examines the influence of religiousness on different components of marketing professionals' ethical decision making: personal moral philosophies, perceived ethical problem, and ethical intentions. The data are from a national survey of the American Marketing Associations' professional members. The results generally indicate that the religiousness of a marketer can partially explain his or her perception of an ethical problem and behavioral intentions. Results also suggest that the religiousness significantly influences the personal moral philosophies of marketers.

Objective. This paper integrates, for the first time, two separate strands of the literature on the determinants and effects of religiosity. Of primary importance is the relationship between income and religious affiliation. Methods. Data are a pooled cross section, with states the units of observation for 1952, 1971, and 1980. Per capita income levels and percentage membership in four groups (fundamentalist Protestant, nonfundamentalist Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish) are estimated simultaneously. Results. Empirical results for the income equation indicate that states with larger Jewish populations are associated with higher per capita income levels, while states with larger fundamentalist Protestant populations are associated with lower income levels. For the religious membership equations, income is a significant determinant of variations in membership for both Protestant groups: increases in per capita income are associated with lower membership levels in both. This latter result is consistent with Iannaccone's (1988) sect/church theory, which explains the historical Protestant switching pattern. Conclusions. Further research is necessary to answer questions regarding the differing impacts of other socioeconomic variables on denominational choice. In addition, newly available religious membership data will provide answers regarding recent changes in religious choice and denominational mobility.

A study was conducted on the relationship between religiosity and marital roles relating to consumer decision-making, specifically to the purchase of automobiles. Results revealed that differential role behavior varies depending on religious influences. In addition, results demonstrated that religious involvement and the portrayal of traditional gender attitudes were positively related. These suggest that the effectiveness of marketing strategies may depend on their ability to consider religious differences in consumer behavior.

Consumer religiosity, which includes the religious commitment and religious affiliations of consumers, may be a significant construct in explaining retail store patronage. The present study used several measures of religiosity to investigate the influence of this possible segmentation variable on consumer evaluation of the importance of various retail department store attributes. Support was found for the religious commitment construct but not for religious affiliation. The most consistent relationship found was between religious commitment and the importance placed by the consumer on sales personnel friendliness/assistance. Direct for future research is provided. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Two important theories of religiosity are the secularization hypothesis and the religion-market model. According to the former, sometimes called a demand-side theory, economic development reduces religious participation and beliefs. According to the latter, described as a supply-side theory, religiosity depends on the presence of a state religion, regulation of the religion market, suppression of organized religion under Communism, and the degree of religious pluralism. We assess the theories by using survey information for 68 countries over the last 20 years, measuring attendance at formal religious services, religious beliefs, and self-identification as religious. In accordance with the secularization view, overall economic development - represented by per capita GDP - tends to reduce religiosity. Moreover, instrumental estimates suggest that this link reflects causation from economic development to religiosity, rather than the reverse. The presence of an official state religion tends to increase religiosity, probably because of the subsidies that flow to organized religion. However, in accordance with the religion-market model, religiosity falls with government regulation of the religion market and Communist suppression. Greater religious pluralism raises attendance at formal services but has no significant effects on religious beliefs or self-identification as religious. Although religiosity declines overall with economic development, the nature of the interaction varies with the dimension of development. For example, religiosity is positively related to education and the presence of children and negatively related to urbanization.