Divine Prosociality: How Religion Influences Altruism in Dictator Games - A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

This study aims to elucidate the potential positive impact of religion on prosocial behavior through a meta-analysis of 39 Dictator Game experiments conducted over the past two decades. Given the mixed results from prior laboratory and field studies, this comprehensive analysis seeks to provide a statistically robust assessment of religion’s influence on altruism. Our primary hypothesis posits that religious individuals exhibit higher levels of prosocial behavior compared to their non-religious counterparts. Consistent with this hypothesis, our findings indicate that believers tend to display marginally greater generosity in the Dictator Game. Additionally, our study probes whether the relationship between religion and altruism varies depending on the method of assessing religiosity. Intriguingly, both religious priming and self-reported religiosity are shown to be equally effective predictors of altruistic behavior. These insights underscore the nuanced role of religion in fostering prosocial behavior and contribute to a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms at play.