Love vs. Right: How Religious Ideas Shape Altruism and Intergroup Discrimination

ghana Political Behavior @AJPS 4 Stata files 1 dataset Dataverse

Does religion promote tolerance or fuel conflict? This article examines how specific religious ideas—universal love versus the notion of one true religion—affect prosocial behavior.

Experimental Context: Conducting field experiments in Ghana and Tanzania with Christians and Muslims.

Universal Love Idea: Fosters equal treatment across groups.
One True Religion Idea: Increases intergroup discrimination.

These findings offer clear insights into how different religious concepts influence social outcomes—and crucial guidance for policymakers seeking to promote tolerance.

Article card for article: Universal Love or One True Religion? Experimental Evidence of the Ambivalent Effect of Religious Ideas on Altruism and Discrimination

Universal Love or One True Religion? Experimental Evidence of the Ambivalent Effect of Religious Ideas on Altruism and Discrimination was authored by Lisa Hoffmann, Matthias Basedau, Simone Gobien and Sebastian Prediger. It was published by Wiley in AJPS in 2020.