Religion & Attitudes About Business

I have found a very interesting piece of research that seeks to identify the impact that religious faith has on the attitudes of individuals toward the behavior of business corporations. I have written before about the widespread belief in America that commercial corporations should be considered amoral entities without the same moral standards and ethical behavior that we generally require of individuals. This is an issues that, I believe, has played a significant role in the current economic problems in our country and around the world.

This study includes a large sample from 20 nations so as to generate significant samples for each of the world's major religions. Respondents were asked (among other things) to indicate if they think that business corporations should focus on profit, make ethics primary or take a middle path somewhere in between. Below are the results:

	Profit	Ethics	In between
Buddhists	19%	56%	20%
Hindus	51%	30%	18%
Muslims	31%	29%	37%
Catholics	24%	37%	38%
Protestants	23%	32%	44%
Orthodox	35%	33%	21%
No religion (“Nones”)	22%	36%	40%

Overall (including other data in the study) the three researchers who directed this study conclude that religion has only modest effect on attitudes about corporate ethics and social responsibility, but is difficult to see that religion makes any difference whatsoever on this fundamental question. As a theologian and pastor, I cannot believe that God does not care how corporations behave, especially those owned and managed primarily by believers. Why are people of faith so ambivalent on this item? Have the large business corporations become the contemporary idols of the 21st century?

Source: Brammer, S., Williams, G. and Zinkin, J. (2006). "Religion and Attitudes to Corporate Social Responsibility in a Large Cross-Country Sample."

Comments

[Andre]

the lack of a holistic view and practice of religion seems to be a problem for all major religious structures. the radical division between spiritual and quotidian life is a real problem and might explain the lack of power of professed religious people (at this moment I'm referring to Christians, since it's the religion with which I have more contact).
thanks for sharing the data

[Monte Sahlin]

Another way to look at these data: A new faith that worships profits is taking over from the long-established religions. There is some evidence that Christian faith, for example, is being reshaped around a view that elevates profit-making over original beliefs that placed God and His definition of unselfish love above wealth.