The Effect of Education on Religion: Evidence from Compulsory Schooling Laws

摘要: For over a century, social scientists have debated how educational attainment impacts religious belief. In this paper, I use Canadian compulsory schooling laws to identify the relationship between completed and later religiosity. find that higher levels of education lead lower participation in life. An additional year leads 4-percentage-point decline likelihood an individual identifies with any tradition; estimates suggest increases can explain most large rise non-affiliation Canada recent decades.