Consumer Society: Case of Modeling Relationships between Consumerism and Religiousness

Occupation: Assoc. Prof. Department of Sociology; Senior Research Fellow
Affiliation:
RUDN University
Institute of Sociology of FCTAS RAS
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow

Ivan V. Batykov

Occupation: Head of the Laboratory
Affiliation: Institute of Sociology of FCTAS RAS
Address: Russian Federation, Moscow

Journal name

Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya

Edition

Issue 7

Pages

97-108

Abstract

This article is an attempt to establish the empirical validity of hypotheses describing the relationship between the evolution of consumer society and religion. Four hypotheses are considered: “secularization” (religion declines with the growing consumerization of societies), “radicalization” (the importance of religion rises in the face of the hostile values of rampant consumption), “commodification” (religion is assimilated by the consumer society as an area of spiritual services) and “the third variable” (religion is associated not with the development of consumption, but with economic development as such). Based on the available statistics for various countries of the world, ways to measure the levels of consumerization and the importance of religion in modern societies are sequentially considered, as well as statistical predictions of each of the four hypotheses. By analyzing the correlations between the consumerization index and the level of GDP, on the one hand, and individual religiosity and state support for religion, on the other hand, we checked whether the real data corresponded to that predictions. Based on the results of the analysis, it can be concluded that the expansion of the space of consumption opportunities is associated with a decrease in the level of individual religiosity in the cross-country context. That is, the first hypothesis is confirmed - about the connection between secularization and consumerization.

Keywords

consumer society, consumerization, public wealth, religion, religiosity, secularization, radicalization, religion and state, cross-country comparisons

Received

27.07.2022

Publication date

22.09.2022

Number of characters

29948

Cite

GOST	Babich N., Batykov I. Consumer Society: Case of Modeling Relationships between Consumerism and Religiousness // Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya – 2022. – Issue 7 C. 97-108 [Electronic resource]. URL: http://ras.jes.su/socis/s013216250019642-9-1-en (circulation date: 29.11.2023). DOI: 10.31857/S013216250019642-9
MLA	Babich, Nikolay S., Batykov, Ivan V. "Consumer Society: Case of Modeling Relationships between Consumerism and Religiousness." Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya 7 (2022):97-108. DOI: 10.31857/S013216250019642-9
APA	Babich N., Batykov I. (2022). Consumer Society: Case of Modeling Relationships between Consumerism and Religiousness. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya (7), pp.97-108 DOI: 10.31857/S013216250019642-9

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