Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
PerceptionofFreedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction:
AcomparisonofreligionandhappinessinChina,Finland,andtheUnitedStatesofAmerica
AnnikaSofieHeramb
OregonStateUniversity
1
Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
I. Abstract
ThisresearchpaperusesdatafromtheWorldValueSurveytoexaminethe
relationshipbetweenlifesatisfactions,perceptionoffreedom,andreligiousaffiliationin
ThePeople’sRepublicofChina,theRepublicofFinland,andtheUnitedStateofAmerica.
Thepaperlookstocomparethreedifferentcountrieswithvastlydifferentpopulationsize,
geographiclocationintheworld,politicalsystems,andpublicattitudestowardsreligionin
anattempttounderstandtherolereligionplaysinpeople’sgenerallifesatisfaction.More
specifically,thepaperattemptstoanswerasetofquestionsregardingtherelationship
betweenthevariables.Arepeoplewhoaremorereligioushappierthanthosewhoarenot?
Dopeoplewhoareaffiliatedwithareligionanditscommunitybelievetheyarefreeto
maketheirownchoicesmoresothanthosewhoarenot?Andarepeoplewithahigh
perceptionoffreedomhappierthanthosewhoarenot,regardlessofreligiousaffiliation?
Thestudyissetoutwiththebeliefthatpeoplewhocategorizethemselvesas
religiousingeneralhavealowerfeelingoffreedombutahigherfeelingoflifesatisfaction,
asreligiouspracticesandcommunitieslimittheirchoiceofactionbutgrantspurposeand
meaningtotheirlives.ThepaperwilluserawdatafromtheWorldValueSurveyand
processesitthroughastatisticsprogramtogetcomparabledataforcriticalanalysis.Each
countrywillbestatisticallyanalyzedindividually,andtheindependentvariablewillbe
religiousaffiliation,whiletheindependentvariableswillbelifesatisfactionandperception
offreedom.Thestudywillnotlookatthedegreeoffreedom,lifesatisfaction,andreligious
affiliation,butlookatthevariablesinabsoluteterms(yes/no,happy/nothappy,etc.)The
paperwillconcludebydrawingparallelsbetweenthecountries,attempttosupportor
falsifythehypotheses,anddrawuppolicyimplicationsfromtheresults.
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Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
I. Introduction
Whentryingtounderstandhumanbeings,attempttomakesenseofthemostbasic
elementsofhumanidentityisofvitalimportance.Itismybeliefthatreligion,perceptionof
individualfreedom,andlifesatisfactionallfallintothiscategory,andissomethingthatis
worthstudyingtounderstandgeneralpopulationsandmakeappropriatepoliciesand
politicalapproachestothesepeople.Formanyyears,researchhasbeenconductedinthe
separatefieldsofreligion,perceptionoffreedom,andlifesatisfaction;however,little
researchhascombinedthethreevariablesandattemptedtomakesenseoftheir
relationshiptoeachother.Seeingasallthreearesocialandindividualmeasurements,they
canbedifficulttoresearchaccurately,andcarehastobetakenwhenanalyzingtheir
relationship,ascorrelationdoesnotalwaysmeancausation.Mostliteraturewrittenabout
theseissuesexploreoneortwoofthevariablesonly,andalthoughitisanincomplete
explorationoftheissue,itgivesafoundationforunderstandingofthedifferentcoreareas.
Thispaperaimsatansweringthreequestionsaboutperceptionoffreedom,religion,and
lifesatisfaction:Arepeoplewhoaremorereligioushappierthanthosewhoarenot?Do
peoplewhoareaffiliatedwithareligionanditscommunitybelievetheyarefreetomake
theirownchoicesmoresothanthosewhoarenot?Andarepeoplewithahighperception
offreedomhappierthanthosewhoarenot,regardlessofreligiousaffiliation?
Althoughthesethemesareimportanttoexploreindependently,theyarean
understudiedcomponentofpolitics,andshouldreceivealargerfocuswithinthiscontext.A
largepercentageoftheworld’spopulationidentifythemselvesasreligious,and
understandingtheirperceptionabouttheirownfreedomcanbeofvitalimportancewhenit
comestotargetingthisgroupwithforinstancevoterpoliciesordifferentsocialprograms.
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Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
Ifamajorityofthereligiouspopulationintheworldbelievestheyhavelittleindividual
freedom,theirparticipationinpoliticalgroupsandorganizationmightbelow,astheywill
failtounderstandthedifferencetheycanmakeintheseareas.Itisalsoimportantfor
understandingvoterturnoutsfromthereligiouspopulation,andtotrytounderstandhow
theymightreacttodifferentpoliciesandsocialprograms.
Understandinghowreligioncancontributetolifesatisfactionisalsoimportant,asit
canserveasempiricalevidenceeitherinfavoroforagainstthefreedomofreligionwithin
countries,andcanencouragegovernmentstoadjustnationalpoliciesaccordingly.
Understandinghowreligionimpactspeople’severydaylivesshouldalsobetakeninto
considerationwhenallocatingstatebudgetsandfunds,andwhenconsideringgovernment
supportforreligiousprogramsandactivitieswithindifferentnations.
Althoughitisdifficulttogetanaccurateunderstandingofthisrelationshipinevery
countryintheworld,itispossibletofocusonafewdifferentcountriestogainsome
understandingoftheissue.Thispaperinparticularlooksattheresultsfromthree
countries:Finland,China,andtheUnitedStatesofAmerica.Thisistogetbroader
understandingoftheissuesathand,asitexaminescountrieswithvastlydifferent
populationsizes,historicalbackground,politicalsystems,attitudestowardsreligion,etc.
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Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
II. Literature Review
Thestudyoflifesatisfactionandreligionisanoldfieldofstudy,andoneinwhich
scholarshaveahardtimeagreeingontheresults(Hadaway,1978).AccordingtoHadaway
(1978),studiesoftenshowsthatreligiouspeoplearemoresatisfiedwiththeirlivesthan
nonreligiouspeople.Investigationandresearchonthishasbeendoneonbotha
communityandindividuallevel,andthejumpbetweenthetwomakestheresults
inconsistent(Hadaway,1978).Reanalyzingdata,Hadawayisabletoconcludethatstronger
religiousfaithhasastrongrelationshipwithgreaterfeelingsofpersonalwellbeing
(Hadaway,1978).Bylookingatfourmeasuresofreligiosityandfourindicatorsoflife
satisfactioninastudyof2,164interviews,heconcludesthattherelationshipbetweenthe
twovariablesisindeedexistentandstatisticallysignificant,althoughitdoesnotsay
anythingaboutwhytherelationshipexists(Hadaway,1978).Hearguesthatreligionoften
functionsmoreasaresourcethanascompensation,andalongwithotherscholars,he
believesthatreligionbringsmuchtoapersonslife:“Religionistraditionallyseenasgiving
hope,meaning,security,andoptimismtotheindividual(…)”(Hadaway,1978).
LikeHadaway,Rakrachakarn,Moschis,SimOng,andShannon(2013)statethat
religionandlifesatisfactionarestronglyrelated.Theycreditthistothefactthat“religiosity
ispositivelyrelatedtoone’semotionalstateofmind,becausereligiousbeliefscanhelp
peoplereducestressandleadtoahappierlife”(Rakrachakarnetal,2013).Thefactsthey
presentshowsstrongandstatisticallysignificantrelationshipsbetweenthedependent
variablelifesatisfactionandtheindependentvariablereligiosity(Rakrachakarnetal,
2013).Otherscholarshavealsoemphasizedtheimportantrolereligioncanplayin
contributingtolifesatisfactionthroughthesignificanceroleitcanplayinphysicaland
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Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
mentalhealth(Koivumaa‐Honkanen,Honkanen,Viinamäki,Heikkilä,Kaprio&Koskenvuo,
2000).
Inthestudyoflifesatisfaction,theconceptofsubjectivewell‐being,SWB,isoften
broughtup,andrepresentshowpeoplethemselvesfeelabouttheirlivescomparedtothe
standardstheythemselveshave(Diener&Diener,1995;Sinneweetal,2014).Accordingto
astudyregardingreligionandlifesatisfaction,usingGermanyasanexample,religion
usuallyhasapositiveimpactonpeoplesSWBdueto:a)thelike‐mindedindividual
religiousorganizationsprovide;andb)thepersonalandinnerdimensionreligionoffers
(Sinneweetal,2014).Thestudyagainmakesanefforttopointouthowtherelationship
betweenreligionandlife‐satisfactionisdifficulttounderstandfromquantitativedata,but
suggestsmodelstoexplainthis.Thenumberonefactorthatinfluencesthepositive
relationshipbetweenreligionandSWB,accordingtothisstudy,istheattendanceof
religiousservicesandparticipationinreligiousactivities,controllingfortheimpactofclose
friendshipsandfrequencyofsocialgatherings(Sinneweetal,2014).Thisreadingisbasis
formysecondhypothesis,whichaimsandexploringtherelationshipbetweenlife
satisfactionandreligion.
Althoughmuchresearchhasbeendoneonfreedomofreligion,littlehasbeendone
ontheperceptionoffreedomandreligion.Whatthispaperaimsatisexploringthisfield
further,andseeifthereareanycorrelationbetweenhowpeopleperceivetheirown
freedomandwhethertheycategorizethemselvesasreligiousornot.AsstatedbyHadaway
(1978):“(…)religionisrarelyconnectedwiththeabilitytoplanaheadandtocontrolthe
directionofone’slife.”Thisresearchlaysthegroundworkformyfirsthypothesis,about
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Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
religionandperceptionoffreedom,andwillbeexploredfurtherwithdatafromtheWorld
ValueSurvey.
III. Hypotheses
Inthispaper,threehypotheseswillbeexplored:
1. Peoplewhocategorizethemselvesasreligioushavealowerperceptionofindividual
freedomthanthosewhodonotcategorizethemselvesasreligious.
2. Peoplewhocategorizethemselvesasreligioushaveahigherfeelingoflife
satisfactionthanthosewhodonotcategorizethemselvesasreligious.
3. PeopleinFinlandhaveahigherfeelingoflifesatisfactionandperceptionoffreedom
thanbothChinaandtheUnitedStates.
IV. Data and Methods
AlldatausedinthepapercomesfromtheWorldValueSurvey,whichcoversover60
countriesandlooksatvaluesoveravastnumberoftopics,suchasgoodandevil,attitudes
regardingtechnology,andreligiousaffiliation.Thepurposeofthesurveyistoprovide
factualdatafrommanydifferentcountriesandregionsoftheworldforresearchersto
betterunderstandhowvaluesdifferbetweencountries.TheWorldValueSurveyistheonly
academicstudythatcoverssomanycountriesintheworld,andwhichmostaccurately
reflectsthevaluesofmostpeopleindifferentregionsoftheworld.Alltherelevant
informationhasbeengatheredthroughface‐to‐faceinterviews,andhasbeenrandomly
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Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
sampledtomostaccuratelyrepresentthedifferentcountriesparticipatinginthesurvey.
ThedatahasbeenanalyzedandorganizedusingthestatisticssoftwareSPSS.
V. Empirical Findings
ThethreetablesaboveshowthedatarelevanttothispaperforFinland.Thefirst
tableshowsthat61.6%oftheFinishpopulationconsiderthemselvestobereligious,while
28.3%considerthemselvestobenon‐religious.Thecategory“aconvincedatheist”will
continuetoappearintablesthroughoutthispaper,butwillnotbetakenintoconsideration.
Thenexttableshowsthat89.9%ofFinland’spopulationaresatisfiedwiththeirlives,using
allresponsesfromthenumber6andupas“satisfied”fortheremainderofthestudy.The
measurementofrankorder6andupisalsousedtoidentifyafeelingofpersonalfreedom,
which,throughthethirdtable,is85.5%forFinland.
RELIGIOUS PERSON for Finland
Cumulative
Valid
Missing
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Percent
A religious person
640
61.6
66.6
66.6
Not a religious person
293
28.3
30.5
97.1
A convinced atheist
28
2.7
2.9
100.0
Total
961
92.6
100.0
No answer
11
1.1
Don´t know
66
6.4
Total
77
7.4
1038
100.0
Total
8
Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH YOUR LIFE for Finland
Cumulative
Valid
Missing
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Percent
Dissatisfied
4
.3
.3
.3
2
13
1.3
1.3
1.6
3
12
1.1
1.1
2.8
4
26
2.5
2.5
5.3
5
52
5.0
5.0
10.2
6
56
5.4
5.4
15.7
7
121
11.6
11.7
27.3
8
345
33.2
33.4
60.7
9
292
28.1
28.3
89.0
Satisfied
114
11.0
11.0
100.0
Total
1033
99.5
100.0
No answer
4
.4
Don´t know
1
.1
Total
5
.5
1038
100.0
Total
HOW MUCH FREEDOM YOU FEEL for Finland
Cumulative
Valid
Missing
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Percent
Not at all
7
.7
.7
.7
2
10
1.0
1.0
1.7
3
25
2.4
2.4
4.1
4
33
3.1
3.2
7.3
5
73
7.1
7.1
14.5
6
81
7.8
7.9
22.3
7
186
18.0
18.2
40.5
8
342
33.0
33.4
74.0
9
169
16.3
16.5
90.4
A great deal
98
9.4
9.6
100.0
Total
1025
98.7
100.0
No answer
2
.2
Don´t know
12
1.1
9
Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
Total
Total
13
1.3
1038
100.0
ExaminingthesamedataforChinayieldsverydifferentresultsthanthosefoundfor
Finland.Usingthesamemeasurements,thethreetablesbelowshowhowthereligious
populationofChinaaccountsfor13.7%ofthetotal,thatlifesatisfactionisat67.6%,and
that74.5%ofthepopulationseethemselvesasfree.TheChinesepopulationismuchless
religiousthantheFinishpopulation,butthepeopleareingenerallesssatisfiedwiththeir
livesandseethemselvesaslessfree.
RELIGIOUS PERSON for China
Cumulative
Valid
Missing
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Percent
A religious person
137
13.7
14.7
14.7
Not a religious person
553
55.3
59.5
74.2
A convinced atheist
240
24.0
25.8
100.0
Total
930
93.0
100.0
No answer
2
.2
Don´t know
68
6.8
Total
70
7.0
1000
100.0
Total
HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH YOUR LIFE for China
Cumulative
Valid
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Percent
Dissatisfied
34
3.4
3.4
3.4
2
49
4.9
4.9
8.4
3
59
5.9
6.0
14.3
4
45
4.5
4.5
18.9
5
134
13.4
13.5
32.4
6
141
14.1
14.2
46.6
7
131
13.1
13.2
59.8
8
174
17.4
17.6
77.4
10
Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
Missing
9
83
8.3
8.4
85.8
Satisfied
141
14.1
14.2
100.0
Total
991
99.1
100.0
Don´t know
9
.9
1000
100.0
Total
HOW MUCH FREEDOM YOU FEEL for China
Cumulative
Valid
Missing
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Percent
Not at all
25
2.5
2.7
2.7
2
26
2.6
2.8
5.5
3
64
6.4
6.8
12.3
4
35
3.5
3.7
16.0
5
88
8.8
9.4
25.5
6
97
9.7
10.4
35.8
7
119
11.9
12.7
48.6
8
153
15.3
16.4
64.9
9
84
8.4
9.0
73.9
A great deal
244
24.4
26.1
100.0
Total
935
93.5
100.0
No answer
1
.1
Don´t know
64
6.4
Total
65
6.5
1000
100.0
Total
FromtheUnitedStates,theresultsshowsthatthecountryismuchmoresimilarto
itswesterncounterpartthanitistoChina.FortheUnitedStates,thepercentageofreligious
peopleis81.2%,whichishigherthanbothFinlandandChina;thepercentageofpeople
whoaresatisfiedwiththeirlivesis87.0%,whichisslightlylowerthanFinland;andthe
percentageofpeoplewhoconsiderthemselvestobefreeis89%,whichismarginally
higherthanFinland.
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Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
RELIGIOUS PERSON for the United States
Cumulative
Valid
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Percent
A religious person
974
81.2
82.5
82.5
Not a religious person
189
15.8
16.0
98.6
A convinced atheist
17
1.4
1.4
100.0
Total
1180
98.3
100.0
Don´t know
20
1.7
1200
100.0
Missing
Total
HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH YOUR LIFE for the United States
Cumulative
Valid
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Percent
Dissatisfied
11
.9
.9
.9
2
6
.5
.5
1.4
3
23
1.9
1.9
3.3
4
31
2.6
2.6
5.9
5
86
7.1
7.1
13.0
6
100
8.3
8.3
21.3
7
220
18.3
18.3
39.7
8
302
25.2
25.2
64.9
9
231
19.3
19.3
84.1
Satisfied
191
15.9
15.9
100.0
Total
1200
100.0
100.0
HOW MUCH FREEDOM YOU FEEL for the United States
Cumulative
Valid
Frequency
Percent
Valid Percent
Percent
Not at all
5
.4
.4
.4
2
11
1.0
1.0
1.4
3
18
1.5
1.5
2.9
4
18
1.5
1.5
4.4
5
80
6.7
6.7
11.0
6
85
7.1
7.1
18.2
7
161
13.5
13.5
31.6
8
297
24.7
24.7
56.4
9
229
19.1
19.1
75.5
12
Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
Missing
A great deal
294
24.5
24.5
Total
1199
99.9
100.0
Don´t know
1
.1
1200
100.0
Total
100.0
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Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
Hypothesis1:Peoplewhocategorizethemselvesasreligioushavealowerperceptionof
individualfreedomthanthosewhodonotcategorizethemselvesasreligious.
StartingwithFinland,thetablebelowshowstheperceptionoffreedomforreligious
persons,notreligiouspersons,andconvincedatheistsinabsoluteterm.Frombasic
percentagecalculations,thenumberofpeoplewhoscorethemselvesasa6orabovein
termsofperceptionoffreedomare85.96%,86.64%,and78.57%respectively.Allofthe
dataisstatisticallysignificant,andthechi‐squaredtestssupportsthis.
HOW MUCH FREEDOM YOU FEEL * RELIGIOUS PERSON for Finland
Count
RELIGIOUS PERSON
A religious
Not a religious
A convinced
person
person
atheist
Total
HOW MUCH FREEDOM YOU Not at all
6
1
0
7
FEEL
2
9
1
1
11
3
14
8
0
22
4
17
9
3
29
5
43
20
2
65
6
45
29
3
77
7
119
50
4
173
8
222
90
10
322
9
103
53
2
158
56
31
3
90
634
292
28
954
A greet deal
Total
Chi-Square Tests
Asymptotic
Significance (2Value
sided)
17.846a
18
.466
17.095
18
.517
Linear-by-Linear Association
.007
1
.933
N of Valid Cases
954
Pearson Chi-Square
Likelihood Ratio
df
14
Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
a. 11 cells (36.7%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected
count is .21.
WecanexplorethedataforChinainasimilarmatter,andfindasimilartypeof
relationshipasinFinland.Wecanseehow,inChina,72.86%ofreligiouspeoplefeelthat
theyarefreeasindividuals,ascomparedtothe77.32%ofthenon‐religiouspeoplewho
feelthesameway.Althoughthedifferenceisnotverylarge,onlyat4.46%difference,both
numbersarestatisticallysignificantandshowthatthereisindeedarelationshippresent.
HOW MUCH FREEDOM YOU FEEL * RELIGIOUS PERSON for China
Count
RELIGIOUS PERSON
A religious
Not a religious
A convinced
person
person
atheist
Total
HOW MUCH FREEDOM YOU Not at all
4
11
10
25
FEEL
2
2
16
7
25
3
10
27
22
59
4
6
17
6
29
5
13
46
20
79
6
18
50
25
93
7
16
68
30
114
8
23
97
30
150
9
14
47
17
78
A great deal
23
137
70
230
129
516
237
882
Total
Chi-Square Tests
Asymptotic
Significance (2Value
Pearson Chi-Square
Likelihood Ratio
Linear-by-Linear Association
df
sided)
20.438a
18
.309
20.760
18
.292
.016
1
.900
15
Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
N of Valid Cases
882
a. 3 cells (10.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected
count is 3.66.
FortheUnitedStates,weseeforthefirsttimehowtherelationshipisreversedas
comparedtoFinlandandChina.While89.20%ofreligiouspeopleintheUnitedStatesare
satisfiedwiththeirlives,only86.17%ofnon‐religiouspeopleare,whichdiffersformthe
caseofFinlandandChina.Thisdataisalsostatisticallysignificant,andtherelationshipisof
particularinterestasitdiffersfromtherelationshipsintheothertwocases.
HOW MUCH FREEDOM YOU FEEL * RELIGIOUS PERSON for the United States
Count
RELIGIOUS PERSON
A religious
Not a religious
A convinced
person
person
atheist
Total
HOW MUCH FREEDOM YOU Not at all
3
2
0
5
FEEL
2
9
2
0
11
3
13
4
1
18
4
12
6
0
18
5
68
12
0
80
6
69
13
1
83
7
127
24
2
153
8
241
50
1
292
9
195
30
1
226
A great deal
236
45
10
291
973
188
16
1177
Total
Chi-Square Tests
Asymptotic
Significance (2Value
sided)
25.418a
18
.114
23.361
18
.177
Linear-by-Linear Association
.124
1
.725
N of Valid Cases
1177
Pearson Chi-Square
Likelihood Ratio
df
16
Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
a. 15 cells (50.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected
count is .07.
Overall,thedatagatheredcannotclearlyproveorfalsifyhypothesis1,asthe
relationshipsdiffersonlyinsmallamountsandinreverseddirections.Thedatafromthese
threecountriescannotoverallprovethatpeoplewhocategorizethemselvesasreligious
havealowerperceptionofindividualfreedomthanthosewhodonotcategorize
themselvesasreligious,althoughitfailstoprovethishypothesiswrongaswell.This
hypothesishasthusnotbeenprovedorfalsifiedbythedataputforwardinthispaper.
17
Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
Hypothesis2:Peoplewhocategorizethemselvesasreligioushaveahigherfeelingoflife
satisfactionthanthosewhodonotcategorizethemselvesasreligious.
Toexaminethishypothesis,thetwovariables“Howsatisfiedareyouwithyourlife”
and“religiousperson”arecomparedinanattempttodrawaconclusionbetweentheir
relationship.AgainstartingwithFinland,thetablebelowshowsstatisticallysignificant
datawhere91.9%ofreligiouspeoplearesatisfiedwiththeirlivesascomparedto89.7%of
non‐religiouspeople.Althoughthereisarelationshipbetweenthetwovariables,itissmall,
onlyaccountingto2.2%difference.
HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH YOUR LIFE * RELIGIOUS PERSON for Finland
Count
RELIGIOUS PERSON
HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU
Dissatisfied
WITH YOUR LIFE
A religious
Not a religious
A convinced
person
person
atheist
Total
2
0
0
2
2
10
2
0
12
3
5
4
2
11
4
13
10
1
24
5
21
14
5
40
6
31
15
2
48
7
72
39
3
114
8
194
112
8
314
9
207
69
5
281
81
27
2
110
636
292
28
956
Satisfied
Total
Chi-Square Tests
Asymptotic
Significance (2Value
Pearson Chi-Square
Likelihood Ratio
df
sided)
42.070a
18
.001
33.166
18
.016
18
Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
Linear-by-Linear Association
10.841
N of Valid Cases
1
.001
956
a. 12 cells (40.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected
count is .06.
AsforChina,theoppositerelationshipistrue.Only62.77%ofreligiouspeoplein
Chinesearesatisfiedwiththeirlives,while68.37%ofnon‐religiouspeoplearesatisfied
withtheirlives.Thiscanhaveanaturalrootinthelongoppressionandbanofreligionin
Chinaunderthecommunistrule,andalthoughitmakessensehistorically,thisdoesnot
supportthehypothesis.
HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH YOUR LIFE * RELIGIOUS PERSON for China
Count
RELIGIOUS PERSON
A religious
Not a religious
A convinced
person
person
atheist
Total
HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU
Dissatisfied
8
13
9
30
WITH YOUR LIFE
2
9
29
8
46
3
6
36
13
55
4
8
26
11
45
5
20
69
34
123
6
17
66
46
129
7
26
71
26
123
8
18
103
42
163
9
12
47
22
81
Satisfied
13
87
28
128
137
547
239
923
Total
Chi-Square Tests
Asymptotic
Significance (2Value
Pearson Chi-Square
25.502a
df
sided)
18
.112
19
Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
Likelihood Ratio
24.832
18
.130
Linear-by-Linear Association
.786
1
.375
N of Valid Cases
923
a. 1 cells (3.3%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected
count is 4.45.
ThelastdataforthishypothesisisfromtheUnitedStates,andtheresultsareagain
verysimilartothatofFinland.FortheUnitedStates,thenumberofreligiouspeoplewho
aresatisfiedwiththeirlivesisat89.20%,whilethesameistruefor86.17%ofthenon‐
religiouspopulation.
HOW MUCH FREEDOM YOU FEEL * RELIGIOUS PERSON for the United States
Count
RELIGIOUS PERSON
A religious
Not a religious
A convinced
person
person
atheist
Total
HOW MUCH FREEDOM YOU Not at all
3
2
0
5
FEEL
2
9
2
0
11
3
13
4
1
18
4
12
6
0
18
5
68
12
0
80
6
69
13
1
83
7
127
24
2
153
8
241
50
1
292
9
195
30
1
226
A great deal
236
45
10
291
973
188
16
1177
Total
Chi-Square Tests
Asymptotic
Significance (2Value
df
sided)
20
Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
25.418a
18
.114
23.361
18
.177
Linear-by-Linear Association
.124
1
.725
N of Valid Cases
1177
Pearson Chi-Square
Likelihood Ratio
a. 15 cells (50.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected
count is .07.
Again,itisdifficulttodrawastrongconclusionfromthisdata,seeingasthe
relationshipsareveryclosewithinallthecountries,andastheresultsdifferbetweenthe
countries.Althoughthenumbersallmakesensefromaculturalandhistoricalperspective,
itisnotenoughtodrawastrongargumenteitherfororagainstthehypothesis.
Hypothesis3:PeopleinFinlandhaveahigherfeelingoflifesatisfactionandperceptionof
freedomthanbothChinaandtheUnitedStates.
Lookingatthethirdhypothesisfromtheinformationprovidedearlierinthispaper,
theresultsareonceagaindisappointing.Lookingatdatapresentedinnumeroustables
above,Finlandhasthehighestpercentageofpeoplewhoaresatisfiedwiththeirlives
(89.8%forFinland,87.0%fortheUnitedStates,and67.6%forChina),however,alarger
percentageoftheUnitedStates’populationbelievetheyhaveindividualfreedom(89.0%
percentasopposedto85.5%forFinland).Onceagain,thehypothesisissupportedandnot
fromthedataatthesametime,andnostrongstandcanbetakenonthehypothesis.
21
Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
VI. Conclusion
Interestinglyenough,thedataanalyzeddoesnotappeartostronglysupportnor
discourageanyofthethreehypothesesputforwardinthepaper.Thisdoesnotmeanthat
thehypothesesareinvalidorthatthedataisnotconsistent;rather,itsuggeststhattoofew
factorshavebeentakenintoconsideration,thattoofewcountrieshavebeenselectedfor
thestudy,orthatthecountriesvarytoogreatlyorarenotappropriatetocompareonthis
level.Ifindtheresultstobesurprising,asIexpectedstrongerrelationshipseither
supportingordisapprovingmyhypotheses,whiletheseallcontradicteachother.Itisnot
possibletodrawanystrongpolicyimplicationsorrecommendationsbasedonthese
findings,however,itisclearthatthedifferencebetweenlifesatisfactionandperceptionof
freedombasedonreligiousaffiliationisfarlesssignificantthanoriginallyanticipated.This
doesnothaveanyinherentpositiveornegativeeffects,butismerelyamatteroffact,and
shouldbetreatedassuch.
Overall,theresearchfallsshortofprovinganytypeofrelationshipitsetoutto
study,andneedsfurtherinformationtoconcludewithanylevelofcertainty.
22
Freedom,Religion,andLifeSatisfaction
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23