Study Finds Religion Affects Wealth Accumulation

[denverbill]

http://www.thelouisvillechannel.com/money/2490471/detail.html

Jews Accumulate Most Wealth, Conservative Protestants Least

POSTED: 10:02 a.m. EDT September 17, 2003

Religious affiliation plays a powerful role in how much wealth people have, according to a new national study.

The Ohio State University study found that Jews amass the most wealth and conservative Protestants the least. Mainline Protestants and Catholics fell in between and were about average with the rest of the population.
<snip>
Overall, the median net worth of Jewish people in the survey was $150,890, more than three times the median for the entire sample. The median net worth for conservative Protestants (which included Baptists, Jehovahs Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventists, Christian Scientists, among others) was $26,200, or about half the overall average. The median net worth of mainstream Protestants (including Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Unitarians and others) and Catholics were similar to each other and about the average for the whole sample.
<snip>

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Interesting.

[snooper2]

1. What about..

People who are agnostic and atheist?

We always get excluded... :(

[rogerashton]

5. Well, and you, in turn, always exclude us deists.

n/t

[rock]

19. Not when we're talking religion

Duh.

[denverbill]

7. Well, I would think atheists should fall with the Jews.

Since neither believes in the afterlife.

Agnostics, not sure.

[ButterflyBlood]

12. Judaism doesn't disbelieve in the afterlife

I believe they simply have a more fuzzy and uncertain view of it than the fundies.

[denverbill]

32. Well, I've sure never seen an afterlife mentioned in the Old Testiment.

Maybe I've missed it.

[Cat Atomic]

2. I wonder if this is taking regional income differences into account

You find alot of conservative Protestants in the center of the country. If you're living in the middle of the US, Satan Worshippers and Buddhists both make pretty modest livings, on average.

[uptohere]

9. it would not appear to and thus the failing point

.

[wuushew]

10. They could of simply measured wealth accumulation as a % of earnings

The failure to do so raises serious questions about this study

[sandnsea]

18. Or

Something about conservative Christianity creates a situation where they just don't prosper. I wonder if we looked at different locales in the country and the religious roots if we'd find some connection as to how the economy and political views arose.

[thinkingwoman]

21. maybe it's karma

Conservative xtians have a way of racking up bad karma and, well, that comes with a price.

;-)

[chadm]

20. It's about net worth, not income...

so the regional thing is less important. It says more about a tendency to spend or save.

[wuushew]

3. I don't know why they are accumulating any wealth at all

since you can't take it with you.

[wuushew]

4. dupe

-

[soleft]

6. I love the survey option

Yes. God favors certain groups.


This sets off major propaganda alerts for me - I can imagine hate groups will use this report as a rallying call, and the author may say the report does not reinforce stereotypes, but come one.

[denverbill]

8. I didn't even see the survey.

At least only 4% said God favors certain groups. Maybe that's cause conservative Protestants don't want to vote that God favors certain groups because, since Jews are wealthier, they are favored over Baptists:).

[ButterflyBlood]

11. interesting

wealthy religious groups tend to vote Democratic while poor ones vote Repuke.

[Ouabache]

13. So when the fundies get raptured up there really won't be that much

cash lying around their houses to make it worth our effort to go look for it, right ? ;-)

[DBoon]

14. Jesus saves, Moses invests

n/t

[FlashHarry]

15. Ironic that the Fundies are poorest...

...yet they vote GOP, a party that overwhelmingly favors the wealthy! Duh!

[OKNancy]

16. Tradition

Like the song. Seems logical to me. Jewish families stay close and work together for the common good.

[tom_paine]

17. Man, some Jew must have a TON of money

To make up for the fact of ME.

I don't buy this at all.

Anyone got a link to the raw data and methodology?

[leftofthedial]

22. that's it, I'm becoming Jewish

changing my handle to leftofthedialstein.

[elfwitch]

24. No cash here...

Jews are wealthiest?

Apparently I am just not getting the kick backs from the secret Jew tax that the psycho-right is always talking about. I keep checking my mailbox for my Jew Checks. That is what I get for not having a forwarding address. I guess I'll have to call the secret 1-800 number and find out where my cash is.:crazy:

[Karenina]

25. Here comes the set-up!

Oy ficken vey. :crazy:

[elfwitch]

26. I second your Oy!

And I raise you "It's just such a Shandeh!"

Every time I see something saying how much better off Jews are financially than everyone else, it always sets off my fascist alarm.

My favorite claim why Jews are so much richer than everyone else is the secret "Jew Tax". They claim that every product that has the circle with a U or K in it collects protection money from the manufacturer. I've actually gotten this conspiracy theory emailed to me by members of my own family.

[sangh0]

27. A DUer posted a link to a "Jew Tax" website today

in an effort to smear Sharpton, and when the sites credibility was questioned the response was "Yeah, it's a Holocaust denial site, but it's got quotes!!!"

[elfwitch]

29. And the lie continues

That piece of fiction gets spread around more than peanut butter on bread. I am always amazed, but never shocked that people buy that one.

[Karenina]

28. How is it no one seems to notice

That those who are CONTROLLING the rape of the national treasury are WASPS??? Just throw the "Jew/money" canard out and here we go... :eyes:

[elfwitch]

30. WASPS

Maybe it is because in addition to having access to the national treasury they also control the big message (large media ourlets). THEY don't want anybody to think they are doing it. It is much easier to convince people that a small minority of people that most folks have never even met it the big boogyman.

[JasonBerry]

31. I don't think that was the question

No doubt, you are correct! However, the survey related to private wealth - and is there ANYBODY who could see this survey and act surprised? Jewish businesspeople are smart and savvy - and yes - they control a LOT of the private wealth in this country.....even with a small percentage of the population. Is this a BAD thing? NO! Why should it be? A lot of these same people work as hard as anyone for peace and justice and not ALL are Zionists. Many Jews - with money and without - are aghast at the Likud shenanigans in Israel.

[leftofthedial]

39. my three closest coworkers and among my best friends are all Jewish

They're gonna love this one!

:evilgrin:

[Kathy in Cambridge]

23. The righties will use this data as proof of a 'Jewish Conspiracy'

some mainstream conservatives ascribe to this-along with their neo-Nazi allies.

[protect freedom impeach bush now]

33. i'd bet a lot of older DUers have more net worth

IF you have owned a home in Calif for over 20 yrs...

your net worth is WAY over $150K....unless you've been
on a spending spree for the last 20 yrs....borrowing
against your equity.


MOST who have owned a home 20 yrs have a met worth of a least
$50K nationwide, due to appreciation.

I even have a net worth quite a bit more due to
appreciation of home value......BUT still sucks, because
that also means i pay more property taxes too.

[kodi]

34. wonder what max weber would say.

.

[SavageWombat]

35. I hope I don't offend...

... but it's true that for hundreds, even thousands, of years, the Jews have been conspiring among themselves. They've conspired to make sure that their children are educated, literate, polite, thoughtful, dutiful, familial and tolerant. Then these educated hard-workers go out and snap up all the best jobs.

Jews need to start raising more fundamentalist whackjobs to bring their average down.

[hayu_lol]

37. Wonder how much the net worth of...

people in the god business is: Falwell, Robertson, Roberts, Dopson, the guy from Coral Gables Ministry, et al ad nauseum. They have done quite well by fleecing their flocks. Not very respectable but thats fundies fer ya.

[BonjourUSA]

36. Conclusion ?

What does this kind of study try to demonstrate ?

[msmcghee]

38. It's about expectations.

When I was in high school (1960 graduate, So. Cal.) - I noticed that every one of my Jewish friends had parents that were very serious about their grades (and their future). Many times I had to goof off with Catholic or Protestant friends after school because my Jewish friends were required to study a lot on most weekday evenings.

I have no idea if that is a widespread tendency or even if it still exists. But if it is part of any real pattern - then I'd say that is a strong bit of evidence for the cause of those differences.

[depakid]

40. Consider the source

This is some STUPID local "news" channel picking and choosing some "findings" from an Ohio State Study.

If you ask me, some news editor in Louisville got wind of this and decided it would make cheap and provocative copy, maybe get a rise out of a few people (we all know the types) and maybe bounce the ratings for a few days.

Professor Keister actually has a significant body of work about wealth accumulation- maybe a little more in depth analysis of all of the factors at work here, some of which may be correlated with religious affilliation, would make intersting story- something the viewers might actually benefit from.

[Kat45]

41. 'Cause the conserv protestants send their money to the TV preachers

A good number of them are probably poorer, less educated folks in the middle of the country who send what money they have to the televangelists.