Work

Deaths of Despair and the Decline of American Religion

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: In recent decades, death rates from suicides, drug poisonings, and alcoholic liver disease have dramatically increased in the United States. We show that these "deaths of despair" began to increase relative to the trend in the early 1990s, that this increase was preceded by a decline in religious participation, and that both trends were driven by middle-aged white Americans. Using repeals of blue laws, we find that a shock to religious participation has significant effects on these mortality rates. Our findings show that social factors such as organized religion can play an important role in understanding deaths of despair.

Source: Journal of the European Economic Association

DOI: 10.1093/jeea/jvaf048

Authors: Tyler Giles, Daniel Hungerman, Tamar Oostrom

Institutions: Wellesley College, University of Notre Dame, The Ohio State University

Language: English

Topic: Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology

Subfield: Health

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Science Foundation, National Institute on Aging