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Opiates of the Masses? Deaths of Despair and the Decline of American Religion

Author

Listed:
  • Tyler Giles
  • Daniel M. Hungerman
  • Tamar Oostrom

Abstract

In recent decades, death rates from poisonings, suicides, and alcoholic liver disease have dramatically increased in the United States. We show that these "deaths of despair" began to increase relative to trend in the early 1990s, that this increase was preceded by a decline in religious participation, and that both trends were driven by middle-aged white Americans. Using repeals of blue laws as a shock to religiosity, we confirm that religious practice has significant effects on these mortality rates. Our findings show that social factors such as organized religion can play an important role in understanding deaths of despair.

Suggested Citation

  • Tyler Giles & Daniel M. Hungerman & Tamar Oostrom, 2023. "Opiates of the Masses? Deaths of Despair and the Decline of American Religion," NBER Working Papers 30840, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:30840
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    Cited by:

    1. Huang, Qinghua & Yuan, Wei & Zheng, Chengsi & Chen, Kaiming & Chen, Xiding & Wang, Yi & Li, Changke, 2024. "Can Confucianism improve ESG performance?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    2. Petach, Luke, 2024. "Monopsony in the market for religion," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 221(C), pages 423-435.
    3. Bahal, Girish & Iyer, Sriya & Shastry, Kishen & Shrivastava, Anand, 2023. "Religion, Covid-19 and mental health," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • J11 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Demographic Trends, Macroeconomic Effects, and Forecasts
    • Z12 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Religion

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