Research at Seven Universities: Children from Non-Religious Families are More Altruistic

Recent research from seven universities worldwide shows that children raised in religious families are "less kind" than those who grow up in non-religious families. They also have a "greater interest in punishing and judging others." According to The Guardian, this is the result of a new study on morality and religion conducted on children born and raised in Christian, Muslim, and non-religious families. Researchers found that religion has a negative impact on children's "altruism." The author of the study, published in the journal Current Biology, states: "Overall, our findings contradict the common belief that children from religious families are more altruistic and kinder than others." The study involved 1,200 children aged five to twelve in the United States, Canada, China, Jordan, Turkey, and South Africa. 24% of these children were raised in Christian families, 43% in Muslim families, and nearly 28% in non-religious families. Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu children were also included in the study but were not considered in the results due to their small numbers. In one part of the study, children were given cartoon stickers and then told that there were not enough stickers for all the children. Researchers wanted to see if these children would share their stickers with others. They also showed a video of children pushing and fighting with each other to record their reactions. The results indicated that "children raised in Christian or Muslim families were less willing to share their belongings with others. The older these children were (meaning they had lived longer in religious families), the less altruistic they became." The study also showed that children from religious families had a greater interest in punishing other children and judged others more harshly. Muslim children were more likely than Christian children, and both were more likely than non-religious children, to feel entitled to judge others' behavior and punish them. This contrasts with the perception of religious parents, who consider their children to be "more empathetic and sensitive to others."