Values and religiosity: a meta-analysis of studies using Schwartz’s model

This meta-analysis reviews studies on 21 samples from 15 countries (total N=8551), all using the Schwartz’s model of values in order to investigate how religiosity is related to the importance attributed to values. Results lead to the conclusion that religious people tend: to favor values that promote conservation of social and individual order (Tradition, Conformity, and to a lesser extent, Security) and, conversely, to dislike values that promote openness to change and autonomy (Stimulation, Self-Direction); also, to favor values that allow for a limited self-transcendence (Benevolence, but not Universalism), and to dislike Hedonism and to a lesser extent values that promote self-enhancement (Achievement, Power). Many effects were constant across different religious denominations (Christians, Jews, and Muslims) and cultures but the magnitude of the effects seemed to depend on the socio-economic development of the countries concerned.