Religiosity-prejudice links are correlational, not established as causal

Evidence

In summary, past meta-analyses have linked religiosity with prejudice but the causal relation between religion and prejudice is unknown. Although several investigators cite individual studies as evidence that religious priming increases prejudice, there has been no definitive review of the research literature on this topic. — Annetta Snell and Miron Zuckerman and Bonnie M. Le, Does Religious Priming Induce Greater…, 25

However, the relation between religiosity and greater prejudice is nuanced, and the findings are somewhat inconsistent. Within prior meta-analyses, the same measures of religiosity demonstrated different relations with prejudice. Hall et al. (2010) found that extrinsic religiosity was related to racial prejudice, but intrinsic and quest religiosity were related to tolerance. In contrast, Whitley (2009) found that intrinsic religiosity was related to negative attitudes toward lesbians and gay men, but the relationship reversed for quest and was null for extrinsic religiosity. In a review of studies published from 1990 to 2003, Hunsberger and Jackson (2005) found that intrinsic religiosity was positively related to prejudice toward LGBT people but not racial/ethnic groups, while extrinsic religiosity was related to prejudice toward both LGBT people and racial/ethnic groups. — Alexandra Snell, Miron Zuckerman, and Bonnie M. Le, Does Religious Priming Induce Greater…, 16

This has not yet been established since the correlational data surveyed in the Deslandes and Anderson (2019), Hall et al. (2010), and Whitley (2009) reviews do not allow inferences of a causal relation between religion and prejudice. It is conceivable, for example, that prejudice moves people to seek and accept a value system (such as religion) that is consistent with their beliefs. The link between religion and prejudice may also be due to a third variable, such as the conservative values that Hall et al. — Alexandra Snell, Miron Zuckerman, and Bonnie M. Le, Does Religious Priming Induce Greater…, 21

Categorization

• XREF: The correlational-but-uncausal link parallels entrenched belief research where claims of religious/egalitarian conviction diverge from behavior, per the reader’s study purpose. — connects to: Racial prejudice peaks among moderate rather than frequent church attendees — Deborah L. Hall and David C. Matz and Wendy Wood, Why Don’t We Practice What We Preach? A…, 84; Correlational meta-analyses cannot establish causal links between religion and prejudice. — Annetta Snell and Miron Zuckerman and Bonnie M. Le, Does Religious Priming Induce Greater…, 2; Extrinsic religiosity correlates with racism through social conformity, not personal values. — Annetta Snell and Miron Zuckerman and Bonnie M. Le, Does Religious Priming Induce Greater…, 18 (+4 more)
• DEEPTHINKING: The pattern of reversals across meta-analyses is striking evidence that religiosity-prejudice findings are highly measure- and target-dependent.
• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Annetta Snell and Miron Zuckerman and Bonnie M. Le, Does Religious Priming Induce Greater…, 25; Alexandra Snell, Miron Zuckerman, and Bonnie M. Le, Does Religious Priming Induce Greater…, 16; Alexandra Snell, Miron Zuckerman, and Bonnie M. Le, Does Religious Priming Induce Greater…, 21

Related

• Correlational data cannot establish whether religion causes prejudice. (similarity 0.91)
• Prejudice may drive people toward religion, not only vice versa (similarity 0.89)
• Correlational meta-analyses cannot establish causal links between religion and prejudice. (similarity 0.89)
• Religious priming causally increases prejudice toward LGBT people and atheists (similarity 0.89)
• Prior religion-prejudice meta-analyses were purely correlational and each studied one target group. (similarity 0.88)
• Religiosity’s link to prejudice depends on whether the prejudice is proscribed. (similarity 0.87)
• Religion fuels prejudice against value-violating groups but restrains prejudice against racial groups. (similarity 0.86)
• Annetta Snell and Miron Zuckerman and Bonnie M. Le — Does Religious Priming Induce Greater Prejudice? A Meta-Analytic Review (similarity 0.85)
• Type of religious prime may not moderate prejudice outcomes (similarity 0.85)
• Extrinsic religiosity correlates with racism through social conformity, not personal values. (similarity 0.85)
• Religious priming elevates prejudice against LGBT people and atheists beyond other targets. (similarity 0.85)
• Extrinsic religion correlates with higher prejudice than intrinsic religion across diverse measures (similarity 0.84)
• Intrinsic religion robustly predicts lower prejudice across 32 studies of religious activity (similarity 0.84)
• Religious primes influence even nonreligious people through mere cultural knowledge (similarity 0.84)
• Intrinsic religiosity suppresses only the specific prejudices a religion prohibits (similarity 0.84)

Broader Connections

• Religious priming causally increases prejudice toward LGBT people and atheists #contradicts (0.72) — Annetta Snell and Miron Zuckerman and Bonnie M. Le, Does Religious Priming Induce Greater…, 108
• Anti-atheist prejudice is socially accepted while racial prejudice is not #exemplifies (0.70) — Norenzayan, Ara, Big gods - how religion transformed…, 232