Education, religion, and voter preference in a Muslim country

Using a unique survey of adults in Turkey, we find that an increase in educational attainment, due to an exogenous secular education reform, decreased women’s propensity to identify themselves as religious, lowered their tendency to wear a religious head cover (head scarf, turban, or burka) and incr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of population economics 2018-01, Vol.31 (1), p.1-44
Main Authors: Cesur, Resul, Mocan, Naci
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Demography
Economics
Economics and Finance
Education
Education reform
Educational attainment
Elections
Islam
Islamic schools
Labor Economics
Modernity
Muslims
National elections
ORIGINAL PAPER
Population Economics
Propensity
Religion
Religiosity
Secularism
Social Policy
Statistical analysis
Urban areas
Voter behavior
Voting
Women
Women's education
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Summary:Using a unique survey of adults in Turkey, we find that an increase in educational attainment, due to an exogenous secular education reform, decreased women’s propensity to identify themselves as religious, lowered their tendency to wear a religious head cover (head scarf, turban, or burka) and increased the tendency for modernity. We also find that education has a negative impact on women’s propensity to vote for Islamic parties. The effect of female education on religiosity is driven by those who reside in urban areas. There is no statistically significant impact of education on male religiosity and tendency to vote for Islamic parties. Increased education does not influence the propensity to cast a vote in national elections for either men or women.
ISSN:0933-1433
1432-1475
DOI:10.1007/s00148-017-0650-3