[Magdalen] The Socio-economic Contribution of Religion to American Society: An Empirical Analysis

[cady soukup]

Of possible interest

http://www.religjournal.com/pdf/ijrr12003.pdf

Abstract:
" This article summarizes the first documented quantitative national
estimates of the economic value of religion to U.S. society.
Specifically, the study provides conservative, mid-range, and high
estimates. The study’s most conservative estimate, which takes into
account only the revenues of faith-based organizations, is $378
billion annually – or more than a third of a trillion dollars. By way
of economic perspective, this is more than the global annual revenues
of tech giants Apple and Microsoft combined. While this first estimate
has the most concrete data, we believe that it is certainly an
undervaluation because it focuses on annual revenues rather than on
the fair market value of the goods and services religious
organizations provide. Our second mid-range estimate attempts to
correct for this in two ways: by providing an estimate of the fair
market value of goods and services provided by religious
organizations, and by including the contribution of businesses with
religious roots. This mid-range estimate puts the value of religion to
U.S. society at over $1 trillion annually. Our third, higher-end
estimate recognizes that people of faith conduct their affairs to some
extent (however imperfectly) inspired and guided by their faith
ideals. This higher-end estimate is based on the household incomes of
religiously affiliated Americans, and places the value of faith to
U.S. society at $4.8 trillion annually, or the equivalent of nearly a
third of America’s gross domestic product (GDP). Finally, we discuss
the limitations of this study and suggest several possible lines of
research that could build upon and extend this research."

Cady
TrinWashVA / Region 13 DioVA / USA