Influence of the Population Religious Diversity on the Socio-Economic Indicators of the Russian Federation Regions

Abstract

Introduction. In the modern world globalization leads to the active interaction of representatives of different cultures. However, there are questions of how this affects the life of society. The purpose of this article is to assess the religious diversity impact on the well-being level of the population of the Russian Federation regions. Materials and Methods. For analysis the author has used data from the Atlas of Religions and Nationalities of Russia “Arena” and the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs. Religious diversity was assessed using two indicators: the Simpson Diversity Index and the Polarization Index. The paper considers the consumption level as an indicator of well-being. On the one hand, the consumption level reflects independently the standard of living; on the other hand, it is an element of gross output. The correlation between religious heterogeneity and the well-being indicator was checked by using regression analysis. Besides the panel regressions were also evaluated. Results. The economic analysis confirms that religious diversity is directly proportional to the divorce rate, which has a negative impact on the consumption level in the Russian Federation regions. In addition, there are direct negative relationship between confessional heterogeneity and consumption. The results lead to the conclusion that religious diversity negatively affects economic indicators through the social sphere. Discussion and Conclusion. The general conclusion is that during the period under consideration, there is trend of the gradual reduce of the religious diversity. These processes are a favorable basis for increasing the well-being indicators of society because they reduce the negative impact of religious heterogeneity on the whole as well as on the consumption level. The data, the methods and the obtained results can be used as a basis for further research. The estimates and the conclusions could be taken into account in the socio-economic policy.