Scholarlink

<p>Religious beliefs are believed to alleviate individuals’ materialism by many Western scholars. The current research investigated whether religious beliefs related to lower levels of materialism among Chinese groups, and if so, whether meaning in life mediated this relationship. Two studies were conducted in this research. By employing large-scale archival data from the 2018 Chinese General Social Survey, Study 1 revealed that Chinese people believing in religion showed weaker materialistic tendencies, as reflected by the frequency of shopping in the past year. Study 2 was a cross-sectional survey study, demonstrating that meaning in life mediated the association between religious beliefs and materialism. Specifically, individuals with religious beliefs had more presence of meaning and therefore exhibited weaker materialism, whereas individuals without religious beliefs tended to search for meaning, which contributed to greater materialism. Our findings not only further the understanding about how religious beliefs affect materialism but also suggest possible ways to mitigate materialism.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Our strong desire for materials is generated by spiritual deprivation: how do religious beliefs affect materialism among Chinese?

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月7日

查看全文
  • Baoyu Bai,
  • Qinzi Li Mo

摘要

Religious beliefs are believed to alleviate individuals’ materialism by many Western scholars. The current research investigated whether religious beliefs related to lower levels of materialism among Chinese groups, and if so, whether meaning in life mediated this relationship. Two studies were conducted in this research. By employing large-scale archival data from the 2018 Chinese General Social Survey, Study 1 revealed that Chinese people believing in religion showed weaker materialistic tendencies, as reflected by the frequency of shopping in the past year. Study 2 was a cross-sectional survey study, demonstrating that meaning in life mediated the association between religious beliefs and materialism. Specifically, individuals with religious beliefs had more presence of meaning and therefore exhibited weaker materialism, whereas individuals without religious beliefs tended to search for meaning, which contributed to greater materialism. Our findings not only further the understanding about how religious beliefs affect materialism but also suggest possible ways to mitigate materialism.