A new study by economists Travis Wiseman (Mississippi State University) and Andrew Young (West Virginia University), found that the “measure of total Christian adherents is robustly and positively correlated with states’ unproductive entrepreneurship scores.” Put more simply: the more Christians in a given state the more likely that state is less successful in entrepreneurial endeavors. Additionally, the study found that atheism and agnosticism positively impact productive entrepreneurship.
So What?
This study considered the religious affiliation by state along with levels of religiosity “based on four factors — attendance at religious services, belief in God, prayer, and the level of importance placed on religion.” Rather than being the definitive word, it is likely to encourage significant numbers of scholarly inquiries regarding the correlation between religiosity and unproductive entrepreneurship.
Rather than seek to dive more deeply into this study, I want to invite you to consider your own experiences. Think of the entrepreneurs you know. Do they tend to be more or less religious than your friends are on average?