Do the catholic and evangelical religions influence the financial aspects of their brazilian followers?

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36517/contextus.2025.94919

Keywords:

religion; Christians; personal finance; behavior; estimation methods.

Abstract

Contextualization: Religion and concerns about financial resources have accompanied humanity from its earliest days to the present. In Christianity, discussions arise about how religious doctrines can influence the behavior of believers. In this context, it is relevant to understand how Christians (both Catholics and Protestants) manage financial matters in their daily lives.

Objective: This study aims to examine how religion influences the financial behaviors of its followers.

Method: A quantitative approach was adopted, applying 513 questionnaires (268 Catholics and 245 Protestants) containing 29 items rated on a 0-to-10 agreement scale, which were grouped into eight constructs. The study employed Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), and Generalized Linear Models (GLM) as estimation methods.

Results: The findings indicate that religion influences aspects such as financial education, monitoring, overconfidence, saving behavior, conscious spending, risk tolerance, and financial planning. Differences between Catholics and Protestants were observed only in monitoring and risk tolerance.

Conclusions: This study contributes to financial education practices grounded in ethical and religious principles while also informing public policies and financial products tailored to different beliefs.

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Author Biographies

Anderson Dias Brito, State University of Southwest Bahia (UESB)

PhD candidate in Administration at the University of São Paulo (USP) and Professor at the State University of Southwest Bahia (UESB)

Master's in Administration from the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB)

Michele Santos Lima, State University of Southwest Bahia (UESB)

Undergraduate in Economics at the State University of Southwest Bahia (UESB)

Eduarda dos Santos da Silva , State University of Southwest Bahia (UESB)

Undergraduate in Administration at the State University of Southwest Bahia (UESB)

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Published

08/13/2025

How to Cite

Brito, A. D., Lima, M. S., & Silva , E. dos S. da. (2025). Do the catholic and evangelical religions influence the financial aspects of their brazilian followers?. Contextus - Revista Contemporânea De Economia E Gestão, 23, e94919. https://doi.org/10.36517/contextus.2025.94919

Issue

Vol. 23: jan/dec 2025

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