How Religion Impacts Deception and Trust Behavior: Evidence From a Lab-in-the-Field Experiment in China

Abstract

This article reports data from a lab-in-the-field experiment in China to provide new evidence on the impact of religion (Christianity) and religiosity on deception and trust. Although extant studies are mainly from countries where Christianity is part of the common cultural traditions, China provides a unique context to test these effects. We find that, compared with non-Christians, Christians are significantly less likely to cheat and demonstrate a significantly higher level of trust in all conditions tested. We also find variation among Christians by religiosity. Specifically, Christians with higher religiosity exhibit a significantly higher rate of trust and a lower rate of deception than the less-religious Christians. Further, our data show that both Christians and non-Christians trust Christians significantly more than others. We also find that both Christians and non-Christians are sensitive to consequences when deciding whether to lie.