From the study analysis:
“Results from a linear regression with number of stickers shared as the dependent variable and age (1-year bins), country of origin, socioeconomic status (1–6 scale) and overall religiousness of the household (aggregate score) suggest that age (bstandardized = 0.410, p < 0.001), SES (bstandardized = 0.13, p < 0.001), and religiousness (bstandardized = .150, p < 0.001) are all significant predictors of sharing (model r2adjusted = 0.194). Importantly, the relations between altruism and the three aspects of religiousness were strongest in older children (n = 533, ages 8–12 years; r = .187 p < 0.001; r = .211, p < 0.001; r = .202, p < 0.001, respectively).”
This contradicts the headline.
Click through to the study.
Religiousness was an important factor, but negatively so.
Objections have been raised about combining minor religious with non-religious. There weren’t enough from minor religions to move the needle. Although I am surprised that 27.6% were identified as non-religious.
Christians were slightly more generous than Muslims but not significantly so.
Although I do wish the experiment had been described more thoroughly. The kids were given 30 stickers and told to choose their favorite 10. Were they then invited to share the remaining 20, from the 10 they chose, or all 30?
What exactly was on the stickers? Did they have any Christian or Muslim symbology on them?
Were they truly allowed to keep the 10 stickers, or did they have to give them all back at the end of the experiment?
43% were identified as Muslim. I would assume nearly all the Turkish and Jordanian kids were Muslim. I’m guessing that would be 33%, with the remaining 10% coming from the remaining sites - Chicago, Toronto, Cape Town, Guangzhou.
Only 24% Christian, nearly 28% Nonreligious.