Effect of Church Attendance on the Middle-Age Worker's Wage in the United States a Possible Causal Connection

Numerous studies in the literature demonstrate a positive correlation between church attendance and the worker’s wage. For effective policy application, however, it is necessary to find out whether there exists a causal connection between them. The current study explores the possibility of such a relation. By using data from the United States and following an instrumental variable approach, the current study shows that church attendance is very much likely to have a causal effect on the middle-age worker’s earnings. The study further demonstrates that the benefit of acquiring higher productivity and wage due to regular church attendance is higher among women than among men