Budgets allow consumers to better manage their spending habits and get a clearer picture of their financial situations. Groceries, rent, utilities, and student loan payments are common among personal and family budgets, but how many consumers are including the cost of religious affiliation into their monthly or yearly budgets?
With more than 3 in 4 Americans identifying themselves with some religious faith, the effects of religion on daily life in the United States are widespread. Many think of the time commitment of religious affiliation, yet overlook the financial commitment involved with the participation in religious faith.
On this page:
- Survey Results
- The Economics of Religion Differs Among America’s Most Popular Religions
- The Effects of Financial and Social Pressure Caused by Religion
- How do the Various Denominations of Christianity View the Cost of Religion?
- Methodology
Is this because we classify the financial commitment of religious affiliation differently than say, our monthly car payment? Does this interpretation differ based on your religious affiliation or age?
At LendEDU, we have constructed a number of reports analyzing and deconstructing consumers’ spending habits. This time around, we polled 1,000 religiously affiliated Americans who indicated that they did contribute financially to their respective religions to determine the financial impact of their religious affiliations. Our goal was to take an objective approach to gauge consumers’ financial contributions to their respective religions, but also to understand the impact this cost has on their daily lives.
| Religions | Proportion of American Population (%) |
|---|---|
| Christian | 70.6% |
| Protestant | 46.6% |
| Catholic | 20.8% |
| Mormon | 1.6% |
| Other Christian Denomination | 1.6% |
| Jewish | 1.9% |
| Muslim | 0.9% |
| Buddhist | 0.7% |
| Hindu | 0.7% |
| Other World Religions | 0.3% |
| Other Faiths | 1.5% |
| Unaffiliated | 22.8% |
| Don’t Know | 0.6% |
Source: Religion in America: U.S. Religious Data, Demographics and Statistics (http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/)
Survey Results
1) On average, what is the yearly monetary value of your donations to your religion?
| Muslim | Jewish | Christian | All Respondents | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amount | $1,309.23 | $1,442.91 | $817.42 | $1,190.31 |
2) On average, what is the total yearly cost of participating in your religion (excluding monetary donations)?
| Muslim | Jewish | Christian | All Respondents | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amount | $1,313.26 | $1,181.78 | $335.08 | $944.12 |
3) Have you ever felt pressured by your peers or members of your religion to donate to your religion?
| Muslim | Jewish | Christian | All Respondents | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 36.00% | 40.73% | 24.00% | 33.58% |
| No | 54.91% | 53.45% | 73.45% | 60.61% |
| Prefer Not to Say | 9.09% | 5.82% | 2.55% | 5.82% |
4) Have you ever felt pressured by a leader of your religion (e.g. Priest, Rabbi, Khutbah, etc.) to donate?
| Muslim | Jewish | Christian | All Respondents | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 32.73% | 36.73% | 25.09% | 31.52% |
| No | 61.09% | 58.91% | 71.64% | 63.88% |
| Prefer Not to Say | 6.18% | 4.36% | 3.27% | 4.61% |
5) To the best of your knowledge, what do your monetary donations contribute to within your religion?
| Muslim | Jewish | Christian | All Respondents | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community events | 20.00% | 18.91% | 16.36% | 18.42% |
| Taking care of the leaders of your religious group | 19.64% | 22.81% | 7.64% | 16.48% |
| Assisting another member in a time of need | 18.18% | 19.27% | 19.27% | 18.91% |
| Assisting non-members who are in need | 11.27% | 9.09% | 12.36% | 10.91% |
| Improvements to facilities or new equipment | 7.64% | 11.64% | 18.91% | 12.73% |
| Donations to charitable organizations | 12.00% | 10.91% | 11.64% | 11.52% |
| I don’t know | 11.27% | 8.00% | 13.82% | 11.03% |
6) Have you ever distanced yourself from your religion due to the financial cost of practicing?
| Muslim | Jewish | Christian | All Respondents | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 25.82% | 26.18% | 16.00% | 22.67% |
| No | 66.55% | 68.73% | 79.64% | 71.64% |
| Prefer Not to Say | 7.64% | 5.09% | 4.36% | 5.70% |
7) Have you ever distanced yourself from your religion due to pressure from others to make a monetary donation?
| Muslim | Jewish | Christian | All Respondents | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 26.91% | 28.00% | 17.09% | 24.00% |
| No | 67.27% | 67.27% | 79.27% | 71.27% |
| Prefer Not to Say | 5.82% | 4.73% | 3.64% | 4.73% |
8) Have you ever considered switching your religion due to the financial cost of practicing?
| Muslim | Jewish | Christian | All Respondents | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 21.45% | 24.36% | 11.27% | 19.03% |
| No | 71.64% | 71.64% | 85.45% | 76.24% |
| Prefer Not to Say | 6.91% | 4.00% | 3.27% | 4.73% |
9) Have you ever considered switching your religion due to pressure from others to make a monetary donation?
| Muslim | Jewish | Christian | All Respondents | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 22.55% | 25.09% | 11.27% | 19.64% |
| No | 69.82% | 70.55% | 84.36% | 74.91% |
| Prefer Not to Say | 7.64% | 4.36% | 4.36% | 5.45% |
10) Do you budget for monetary donations to your religion?
| Muslim | Jewish | Christian | All Respondents | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 51.64% | 59.64% | 52.36% | 54.55% |
| No | 40.73% | 36.36% | 43.27% | 40.12% |
| Prefer Not to Say | 7.64% | 4.00% | 4.36% | 5.33% |
11) Do you report monetary donations to your religion as a tax write off?
| Muslim | Jewish | Christian | All Respondents | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 35.64% | 47.64% | 30.91% | 38.06% |
| No | 55.64% | 47.64% | 63.64% | 55.64% |
| Prefer Not to Say | 8.73% | 4.73% | 5.45% | 6.30% |
12) What is the reason, if any, for not donating more to your religion?
| Muslim | Jewish | Christian | All Respondents | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debit (credit card, student loan, mortgage, etc.) | 17.45% | 17.82% | 12.73% | 16.00% |
| Income Limitations | 36.00% | 41.82% | 40.73% | 39.52% |
| Donating to my religion is not a top financial priority | 15.64% | 9.82% | 10.18% | 11.88% |
| I already donate as much as I can | 30.91% | 30.55% | 36.36% | 32.61% |
13) Do you feel that members of your religion are treated differently depending on their regular donation amounts?
| Muslim | Jewish | Christian | All Respondents | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 36.00% | 38.18% | 24.73% | 32.97% |
| No | 55.27% | 57.09% | 69.82% | 60.73% |
| Prefer Not to Say | 8.73% | 4.73% | 5.45% | 6.30% |
14) Do you believe that monetary donations should be a requirement to join your religion?
| Muslim | Jewish | Christian | All Respondents | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 26.18% | 26.18% | 10.18% | 20.85% |
| No | 67.64% | 70.18% | 85.09% | 74.30% |
| Prefer Not to Say | 6.18% | 3.64% | 4.73% | 4.85% |
Key Takeaways
The Economics of Religion Differs Among America’s Most Popular Religions
The Yearly Cost of Religion
We asked religiously affiliated Americans, who indicated that they contributed financially to their respective religions, to estimate the yearly cost of participating in their religions. We broke this question out into two different parts to differentiate between what consumers may consider a ”cost” and a “donation” (as consumers may interpret these differently):
1) On average, what is the yearly monetary value of your donations to your religion?
2) On average, what is the total yearly cost of participating in your religion (excluding monetary donations)?
We found that the average respondent donates $1,190.31 per year to his or her respective religion. Jewish respondents reported donating the most to their religion, donating $1,442.91 per year on average. Christian donated the least at $817.42 per year, on average.
Our survey revealed that the average respondent spends an additional $944.12 per year to participate in his or her religion, excluding monetary donations. Muslim respondents reported the highest yearly cost, spending $1,313.26 per year to participate. Christians respondents again reported the lowest yearly cost, spending $335.08 per year.
Our survey ultimately revealed that the average respondent reported spending $2,134.42 per year on his or her respective religion. This total yearly cost is a summary of yearly monetary donations and yearly costs to participate, excluding monetary donations. Jewish respondents reported the highest yearly cost, spending $2,624.69 per year on average. Christian respondents reported the lowest yearly cost, spending $1,152.51 per year on average.
How Does Each Religion Make Use of Donations?
Our survey respondents alone account for over $1MM in yearly donations to their religions, but how were these donations being utilized by each respective religion? Did the use of donations differ religion-to-religion? We asked our survey respondents to report, to the best of their knowledge, how they thought these funds were being used.
We found that 18.91% of all respondents reported “Assisting another member in a time of need” as the primary use of their donations. This was the most popular answer among all respondents. 18.42% of all respondents reported “Community events” as the primary use of their donations. This was the second most popular answer among all respondents. 16.48% of respondents reported “Taking care of the leaders of my religious organization” as the primary use of their donations. This was the third most popular answer among all respondents.
19.27% of Christians respondents reported “Assisting another member in a time of need” as the primary use of their donations. This was the most popular answer among all Christian respondents. 18.81% of Christian respondents reported “Improvements to facilities or new equipment” as the primary use of their donations. This was the second most popular answer among all Christian respondents. 16.36% of Christian respondents reported “Community events” as the primary use of their donations, this was the third most popular answer among all Christian respondents.
20.00% of Muslim respondents reported “Community events” as the primary use of their donations. This was the most popular answer among Muslim respondents. 19.64% of Muslim respondents reported “Taking care of the leaders of my religious organization” as the primary use of their donations. This was the second most popular answer among Muslim respondents. 18.18% of Muslim respondents reported “Assisting another member in a time of need” as the primary use of their donations. This was the third most popular answer among Muslim respondents.
22.18% of Jewish respondents reported “Taking care of the leaders of my religious organization” as the primary use of their donations. This was the most popular response among Jewish respondents. 19.27% of Jewish respondents reported “Assisting another member in a time of need” as the primary use of their donations. This was the second most popular answer among Jewish respondents. 18.91% of Jewish respondents reported “Community events” as the primary use of their donations. This was the third most popular response among Jewish respondents.
Do Religiously Affiliated Americans Budget for Expected Donations to their Religion?
Mortgage payments, travel expenses, and car payments can likely be found on the average American’s monthly budget, but how often do Americans include the cost of participating in their religion as a budget item? We wanted to find out how many religiously affiliated Americans included the cost of their religions in their budgets.
We found that 54.55% of all respondents indicated that they do budget for their monetary donations to their respective religions. 59.64% of Jewish respondents reported that they do budget for monetary donations to their religion, this was the highest reported among the three religious groups surveyed. 51.64% of Muslim respondents reported that they do budget for monetary donations to their religion, this was the lowest reported among the three religious groups surveyed.
What is Preventing Religiously Affiliated Americans from Donating More?
With the rise of student loan debt to a staggering $1.4 trillion and other forms of debt, like credit cards and mortgages, becoming a daily part of American finances, we wanted to see what hindered religiously affiliated Americans from donating more to their religions.
We found that 39.52% of all respondents indicated that “Income limitations” was the primary reason for not donating more to their religions. This was the most popular answer among all respondents. 16.00% of all respondents indicated that “Debt (credit card, student loans, mortgages, etc.) was the primary reason for not donating more to their religions and 11.88% indicated that “Donations to my religion is not a top financial priority” as the primary reason for not donating more to their religions.
40.73% of Christian respondents indicated that “Income limitations” was the primary reason for not donating more to their religion. This was the most popular answer among Christian respondents. 12.73% of Christian respondents indicated that “Debt (credit card, student loans, mortgages, etc.) was the primary reason for not donating more to their religion and 10.18% indicated that “Donations to my religion is not a top financial priority” as the primary reason for not donating more to their religion.
36.00% of Muslim respondents indicated that “Income limitations” was the primary reason for not donating more to their religion. This was the most popular answer among Muslim respondents. 17.45% of Muslim respondents indicated that “Debt (credit card, student loans, mortgages, etc.) was the primary reason for not donating more to their religion and 15.64% indicated that “Donations to my religion is not a top financial priority” as the primary reason for not donating more to their religion.
41.82% of Jewish respondents indicated that “Income limitations” was the primary reason for not donating more to their religion. This was the most popular answer among Jewish respondents. 17.82% of Jewish respondents indicated that “Debt (credit card, student loans, mortgages, etc.) was the primary reason for not donating more to their religion and 9.82% indicated that “Donations to my religion is not a top financial priority” as the primary reason for not donating more to their religion.
The Effects of Financial and Social Pressure Caused by Religion
For many Americans, their religious group is their support system and a communal hub. As religious groups are dependent on donations to pay the bills, finances play a large role in the community structure of religious groups. Considering yearly donations from members average more than $1,000, according to our respondents, we were curious if social pressures impacted members willingness to donate.
Our survey found that 33.58% of all respondents reported experiencing pressure from their peers to donate to their religions. Additionally, our survey found that 31.52% of all respondents reported experiencing pressure from religious leaders to donate.
The pressure to donate seems to be more prevalent among millennials. 35.47% of millennials reported experiencing pressure to donate from peers and 33.87% reported experiencing pressure to donate from leaders of their religious groups, while 30.67% of non-millennials reported experiencing pressure to donate from peers and 27.91% reported experiencing pressure to donate from leaders of their religious groups.
24.00% of Christian respondents reported experiencing pressure from peers to donate, this was the lowest reported among the three religious groups we surveyed. 25.09% of Christians respondents reported experiencing pressure from religious leaders to donate, this was the lowest reported among the three religious groups we surveyed.
36.00% of Muslim respondents reported experiencing pressure from peers to donate and 32.73% reported experiencing pressure from religious leaders to donate.
40.73% of Jewish respondents reported experiencing pressure from peers to donate, this was the highest reported among the three religious groups we surveyed. 36.73% of Jewish respondents reported experiencing pressure from religious leaders to donate, this was the highest reported among the three religious groups we surveyed.
How Does Financial and Social Pressure Impact Religious Members?
Social and financial pressure can have a profound effect on our spending and savings habits. We were curious how these same pressures impacted members within religious communities.
Our survey found that 22.67% of respondents indicated that they have distanced themselves from their religions due to the financial cost and 19.03% indicated that they have considered switching their religions due to the financial cost. Similarly, 24.00% of respondents indicated that they have distanced themselves from their religions due to the pressure to donate and 19.64% of respondents indicated that they have considered switching religions due to the pressure to donate.
Millennials appear to be more sensitive to the financial and social pressure of religious affiliation. 24.05% of millennials indicated that they have distanced themselves from their religions due to the financial cost and 20.24% indicated that they have considered switching their religions due to the financial cost. Comparatively, 20.55% of non-millennials indicated that they have distanced themselves from their religion due to the financial cost and 17.18% of non-millennials indicated that they have considered switching their religions due to the financial cost.
Similarly, 25.65% of millennials indicated that they have distanced themselves from their religions due to the pressure to donate and 20.44% indicated they have considered switching their religions due to the pressure to donate.
16.00% of Christians respondents indicated that they have distanced themselves from their religion due to the financial cost and 11.27% indicated that they have considered switching their religion due to the financial cost. Similarly, 17.09% of Christians respondents indicated that they have distanced themselves from their religion due to the pressure to donate and 11.27% have considered switching their religion due to this pressure.
25.82% of Muslim respondents indicated that they have distanced themselves from their religion due to the financial cost of their religion and 21.45% indicated that they have considered switching their religion because of it. Similarly, 26.91% of Muslim respondents indicated that they have distanced themselves from their religion due to the pressure to donate and 22.55% have considered switching their religion due to this pressure.
26.18% of Jewish respondents indicated that they have distanced themselves from their religion due to the financial cost of their religion and 24.36% indicated that they have considered switching their religion due to the financial cost. Similarly, 26.91% of Jewish respondents indicated that they have distanced themselves from their religion due to the pressure to donate and 25.09% have considered switching their religion due to the pressure to donate.
How do the Various Denominations of Christianity View the Cost of Religion?
As Christians represent roughly 70% of the U.S. population, we were curious how the different denominations of Christianity interpreted the cost of religion. If a survey respondent identified themselves as affiliated with Christianity, we asked a followup question asking what denomination of Christianity they practiced. We split respondents into four broadly defined denominations: Catholic, Protestant, Mormon, and Other Christian Denomination not listed.
The Yearly Cost of Christianity by Denomination
1) On average, what is the yearly monetary value of your donations to your religion?
2) On average, what is the total yearly cost of participating in your religion (excluding monetary donations)?
We found that the average Christian respondent donates $817.42 per year. Mormon respondents reported donating the most, donating $1,648.17 per year on average. Catholic respondents reported donating the least at $511.58 per year, on average.
Our survey revealed that the average Christian respondent spends an additional $335.08 per year to participate, excluding monetary donations. Protestant respondents reported the highest yearly cost, spending $424.93 per year to participate. Mormon respondents reported the lowest yearly cost, spending $224.33 per year.
Our survey ultimately revealed that the average Christian respondent reported spending $1,152.51 per year. This total yearly cost is a summary of yearly monetary donations and yearly costs to participate, excluding monetary donations. Protestant respondents reported the highest yearly cost, spending $1,930.43 per year on average. Catholic respondents reported the lowest yearly cost, spending $896.51 per year on average.
Do All Christian Denominations Budget for Donations?
Given the variances in reported yearly cost among the different denominations of Christianity, we wanted to find out if budgeting habits differed as well.
We found that 52.36% of Christian respondents reported that they do budget for donations. 66.07% of Protestant respondents reported that they do budget for donations, this was the highest reported among Christian denominations. 42.34% of other Christian denominations reported that they do budget for donations, this was the lowest reported among Christian denominations
The Impact of Social and Financial Pressures Differ Among Christian Denominations
Our survey found that 24.00% of Christian respondents reported experiencing pressure to donate from peers, while 25.09% reported experiencing pressure to donate from leaders of their respective religious group. 27.08% of Catholic respondents reported experiencing pressure to donate from peers, while 28.13% reported experiencing pressure to donate from religious leaders. 19.64% of Protestant respondents reported experiencing pressure to donate from peers, while 25.00% reported experiencing pressure to donate from religious leaders. 8.33% of Mormon respondents reported experiencing pressure to donate from peers, while 16.67% reported experiencing pressure to donate from religious leaders. 25.23% of “Other Christian Denomination” respondents reported experiencing pressure to donate from peers, while 23.42% reported experiencing pressure to donate from religious leaders.
Our survey found that 17.09% of Christian respondents reported distancing themselves due to pressure to donate, while 11.27% considered switching religions due to pressure to donate. 20.83% of Catholic respondents reported distancing themselves due to pressure to donate, while 18.75% considered switching religions due to pressure to donate. 14.29% of Protestant respondents reported distancing themselves due to pressure to donate, while 7.14% considered switching religions due to pressure to donate. 16.67% of Mormon respondents reported distancing themselves due to pressure to donate, while 16.67% considered switching religions due to pressure to donate. 15.32% of “Other Christian Denomination” respondents reported distancing themselves due to pressure to donate, while 6.31% considered switching religions due to pressure to donate.
Methodology
These questions were delivered to 1,000 respondents via polling company, Pollfish. To be included, respondents had to indicate that they were affiliated with one of the three religions we researched (Christian, Muslim, Jewish) and that they contributed financially to their respective religions. 275 Americans were surveyed for each of the three religions we researched. According to Pew Research in 2014, Christians represent 92.2% of religiously affiliated Americans, Jews represent 2.5% of religiously affiliated Americans, and Muslims represent 1.17% of religiously affiliated Americans. Our respondents cover roughly 95% of religious affiliations in the United States. The responses for this survey were gathered over a two-day span, from November 20th, 2017 to November 21st, 2017.
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