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Western Bias?
The study suggests a correlation between religiosity and poverty, but that doesn't prove that one causes the other.
It would also be interesting to know more about how these survey questions were framed. At the bottom of the summary page, they note: "Religiosity is measured using a three-item index ranging from 0-3, with "3" representing the most religious position. Respondents were given a "1" if they believe faith in God is necessary for morality; a "1" if they say religion is very important in their lives; and a "1" if they pray at least once a day."
That seems to me a rather simplistic way of measuring a very complex topic, and one biased toward Abrahamic religions. Faith in God is a much more complicated question in Hinduism or Taoism, and is (along with prayer) almost meaningless to most forms of Buddhism. Christianity and Islam do represent about half of the world's population, and non-religious about 12-14%, but what about the remaining third?
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