This paper examines the links between religion and job satisfaction. Its concern is to compare Eastern and Western Europe. We use the 2015 International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) data covering both non-religious individuals and individuals affiliated to a religious denomination. While the Western European countries generally report significantly higher levels of job satisfaction compared to their Eastern counterparts, we test the hypothesis that religion also shows differentiated effects on job satisfaction and work attitudes. Our results indicate that religion has no significant effect on job satisfaction in either of the regions. In the West, religious affiliation has an influence on a larger variety of work attitude measurements compared to those in the East. In both regions, workers who regularly attend religious services would enjoy work significantly more even if they did not need money, consider high income as less important, and consider helping other people, contact with other people, and having a job useful to society as more important.
Bender, K. A. – Donohue, S. M. – Heywood, J. S. (2005): Job Satisfaction and Gender Segregation. Oxford Economic Papers, 57(3): 479–496.
Borooah, V. K. (2009): Comparing Levels of Job Satisfaction in the Countries of Western and Eastern Europe. International Journal of Manpower, 30(4): 304–325.
Brayfield, A. H. – Crockett, W. H. (1955): Employee Attitudes and Employee Performance. Psychological Bulletin, 52(5): 396–424.
Burkimsher, M. (2014): Is Religious Attendance Bottoming Out? An Examination of Current Trends across Europe. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 53(2): 432–445.
Cash, K. C. – Gray, G. R. (2000): A Framework for Accommodating Religion and Spirituality in the Workplace. Academy of Management Executive, 14(3): 124–134 .
Clark, A. E. (1997): Job Satisfaction and Gender: Why Are Women So Happy at Work? Labour Economics, 4(4): 341–372.
Clark, A. E. – Oswald, A. J. (1996): Satisfaction and Comparison Income. Journal of Public Economics, 61(3): 359–381.
Clark, A. E. – Oswald, A. – Warr, P. (1996): Is Job Satisfaction U-Shaped in Age? Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 69: 57–81.
Dragotă, I. M. – Dragotă. V. – Curmei–Semenescu, A. – Traian Pele, D. (2018): Capital Structure and Religion. Some International Evidence. Acta Oeconomica, 68(3): 415–442.
Fargher, S. – Kesting, S. – Lange, T. – Pacheco, G. (2008): Cultural Heritage and Job Satisfaction in Eastern and Western Europe. International Journal of Manpower, 29(7): 630–650.
Frey, B. S. – Stutzer, A. (2002): What Can Economists Learn from Happiness Research? Journal of Economic Literature, 40(2): 402–435.
Ghazzawi, I. A. – Smith, Y. (2009): Crafting the Whole Employee: Job Satisfaction, Job Commitment, and Faith. The Business Review, 1(2): 300–309.
Ghazzawi, I. A. – Smith, Y. – Cao, Y. (2016): Faith and Job Satisfaction: Is Religion a Missing Link? Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict, 20(1): 1–29.
Greene, W. H. – Hensher, D. A. (2010): Modelling Ordered Choices: A Primer. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Guiso, L. – Sapienza, P. – Zingales, L. (2003): People's Opium? Religion and Economic Attitudes. Journal of Monetary Economics, 50(1): 225–282.
Hamplová, D. (2011): Náboženství a pohlaví: Proč jsou ženy zbožnější než muži? (Religion and Sex: Why Women Are More Religious than Men?) Sociologický časopis/Czech Sociological Review, 47(2): 297–323.
Hamplová, D. (2013): Náboženství v české společnosti na prahu 3. tísiciletí. (Religion in the Czech Society at the Edge of 3. Millennium). Praha: Karolinum.
Inglehart, R. – Baker, W. E. (2000): Modernization, Cultural Change, and the Persistence of Traditional Values. American Sociological Review, 65(1): 19–51.
Judge, T. A. – Thoresen, C. J. – Bono, J. E. – Patton, G. K. (2001): The Job Satisfaction – Job Performance Relationship: A Qualitative and Quantitative Review. Psychological Bulletin, 127(3): 376–407.
Lange, T. (2010): Culture and Life Satisfaction in Developed and Less Developed Nations. Applied Economics Letters, 17(9): 901–906.
Lange, T. (2015): Social Capital and Job Satisfaction: The Case of Europe in Times of Economic Crises. European Journal of Industrial Relations, 21(3): 275–290. https://doi.org/10.1177/0959680114542907.
Malešević-Perović, L. – Mihaljević-Kosor, M. – Filipić, P. (2011): The Relative Importance of Religious Denominations for Life Satisfaction. Journal of Applied Economics and Business Research, 1(3): 162–176.
Minarik, P. (2014a): Employment, Wages, and Religious Revivals in Post-Communist Countries. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 53(2): 296–315. https://doi.org/10.1111/jssr.12113.
Minarik, P. (2014b): Religion and Economic Attitudes in Post-Communist Transition. Post–Communist Economies, 26(1): 67–88. https://doi.org/10.1080/14631377.2014.874656.
Mojsoska-Blazevski, N. – Petreski, M. – Krliu-Handjiski, V. (2015): Does Cultural Heritage Affect Job Satisfaction? The East – West Divide. Acta Oeconomica, 65(2): 325–337.
Mysíková, M. – Večerník, J. (2013): Job Satisfaction across Europe: Differences between and within Regions. Post-Communist Economies, 25(4): 539–556. https://doi.org/10.1080/14631377.2013.844934.
Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project (2010): Pew Research Center, Washington, DC.
Sánchez-Sánchez, N. – Fernández Puente, A.C. (2019): Is Women's Job Satisfaction Higher than Men's? Self-Selection, Expectations or Utility Function. Acta Oeconomica 69(2): 161–189.
Večerník, J. (2004): Skating on Thin Ice: A Comparison of Work Values and Job Satisfaction in CEE and EU Countries. International Journal for Comparative Sociology, 44(5): 444–471.
Vila, L. E. – Belen, G. (2005): Education and the Determinants of Job Satisfaction. Education Economics, 13(4): 409–425.
Wanous, J. P. – Reichers, A. E. – Hudy, M. J. (1997): Overall Job Satisfaction: How Good Are Single-Item Measures?. Journal of Applied Psychology, 82(2): 247–252.
Worthington Jr., E. L. – Wade, N. G. – Hight, T. L. – Ripley, J. S. – McCullough, M. E. – Berry, J. W. – Schmitt, M. M. – Berry, J. T. – Bursley, K. H. – O’Connor, L. (2003): The Religious Commitment Inventory-10: Development, Refinement, and Validation of a Brief Scale for Research and Counselling. Journal of Counselling Psychology, 50(1): 84–96.
Yeganeh, H. (2015): Religiosity, Socio-Economic Development and Work Values: A Cross-National Study. Journal of Management Development, 34(5): 585–600.