A recent study has identified a significant correlation between the decline in religious participation among middle-aged, less educated white Americans and the increase in “deaths of despair,” which include fatalities from drug overdoses, suicide, and alcoholic liver disease. This research, conducted by economists Tamar Oostrom, Tyler Giles, and Daniel Hungerman, highlights a trend that predates the opioid crisis, suggesting a deeper societal issue at play.
Published in the Journal of the European Economic Association, the study analyzed data from the General Social Surveys and mortality statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The findings reveal that states experiencing the most significant drop in church attendance from 1985 to 2000 also saw the largest increases in deaths of despair.
The Role of Religious Participation
While the surge in deaths of despair has often been attributed to the introduction of opioids like OxyContin in the late 1990s, Oostrom, an assistant professor of economics at The Ohio State University, points out that the trend began earlier. “What we see in this study is the beginning of the story, before opioids became a major issue,” Oostrom explained. “It shows rises in deaths of despair were already beginning to happen when the opioid crisis hit.”
The study’s analysis indicates that the decline in religious participation was predominantly among white, middle-aged Americans without a college degree, the same demographic experiencing increased mortality rates. This pattern was consistent across both genders and in both rural and urban areas.
Impact of Blue Laws Repeal
To further investigate the connection between church attendance and mortality, the researchers examined the impact of repealing “blue laws,” which had restricted commercial activities on Sundays, thereby encouraging church attendance. The largest repeal occurred in 1985 when Minnesota, South Carolina, and Texas lifted these restrictions. The study found that this led to a 5- to 10-percentage-point decrease in weekly religious service attendance, followed by an increase in deaths of despair in these states.
“OxyContin and the opioid crisis made a bad situation worse, but the deaths of despair were already on the rise,” Oostrom stated.
Social Connections and Identity
The decline in churchgoing seems to have broader implications beyond just the loss of social connections. Oostrom suggests that religion may provide a unique sense of identity and understanding of the world that other forms of socialization cannot easily replace. “Religion may provide some way of making sense of the world, some sense of identity in relation to others, that can’t easily be replaced,” she noted.
Interestingly, the study found no significant decline in other forms of social activity during the same period, and belief in God remained stable. The critical change was in religious identification and church attendance, which Oostrom argues are crucial factors in the rise of deaths of despair.
Future Implications and Challenges
The study raises important questions about whether a resurgence in organized religious participation or involvement in secular community organizations could help reverse these mortality trends. However, the authors express skepticism, noting that evidence for such reversals is limited. Oostrom also points out the challenges posed by the rise of social media, which may further diminish traditional community engagement.
“People are less religious now, and there hasn’t been a substitute that provides what religion provided to many people,” Oostrom said. “Our paper suggests this could have long-term impacts on health and mortality.”
As the nation grapples with the ongoing opioid crisis and its devastating effects, this study suggests that addressing the broader social and cultural shifts that have contributed to the rise in deaths of despair is crucial. The findings underscore the need for a multifaceted approach to public health and community well-being, one that considers the complex interplay of social, economic, and cultural factors.
