The proportion of religious residents predicts the values of nonreligious neighbors: evidence from a national sample
Sociologists have shown that neighbors hold similar values, from a combination of assimilation (the propinquity effect) and migration (homophily). However, the scope of value leveling remains uncertain. We conducted a natural experiment by using the resilience of conservative values among religious...
| Published in: | Religion, brain & behavior |
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| Authors: | ; |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Routledge
2013
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| In: |
Religion, brain & behavior
Year: 2013, Volume: 3, Issue: 3, Pages: 219-232 |
| Further subjects: | B
Geography
B Morality B Social Networks B Secularization B Religion B Culture |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | Sociologists have shown that neighbors hold similar values, from a combination of assimilation (the propinquity effect) and migration (homophily). However, the scope of value leveling remains uncertain. We conducted a natural experiment by using the resilience of conservative values among religious residents to evaluate the extent of leveling in the conservative values of nonreligious neighbors. We employed a Multi-level Random Coefficient Model that linked survey data on religious/value orientations from a nationally representative sample of New Zealanders (n=6217 people) with census data on the proportion of religious people living in respondent neighborhoods. Consistent with the religious value-leveling hypothesis, the conservative values of religious residents predicted levels of conservative values among nonreligious neighbors. The strength of conservative values leveling among nonreligious neighbors was found to be a linear function of the proportion of religious residents. This pattern appeared consistently across New Zealand, and held controlling for demographic variables and regional deprivation. No other value domain besides conservative values exhibited such frequency-dependent leveling effects. This study offers the first demonstration of value leveling at a national scale. It reveals that proportionally dense religious populations may affect the value orientations of nonreligious neighbors, even in a mainly secular country. |
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| ISSN: | 2153-5981 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Religion, brain & behavior
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/2153599X.2012.739740 |