|
May 10, 2018
Since the founding of the country, religion of some type has always played an active role in the lives of a majority of Americans.
Although religious faith is on a long-term downward trend while secularism is on the rise,
...according to Pew Research Center.
These numbers mean that over one in four Americans believe in some form of non-atheistic religion.
Much research has been done into the community impact of religion. Sometimes, religion is used as an excuse to engage in a number of terrible things such as,
This is both historically as well as contemporarily true.
However there is a great deal of good that religion is a catalyst for as well, such as volunteer work, greater civic engagement, and welfare.
The authors of the study recognize this and understand that,
In a 2016 study entitled "The Socio-economic Contribution of Religion to American Society - An Empirical Analysis", Melissa and Brian Grim from Georgetown University and the Newseum Institute set out to determine the cost and contribution that religion has for American society.
Under conservative estimates, faith-based organizations were found to generate roughly $378 billion per year.
The largely tax-free religion industry is one of the biggest in America, worth $1.2 trillion/year, a number that includes religious "healthcare facilities, schools, daycare and charities; media; businesses with faith backgrounds; the kosher and halal food markets; social and philanthropic programs; and staff and overheads for congregations."
Being more than a third of a trillion dollars, that number actually accounts for more than the global revenue of both Apple and Microsoft combined.
When including businesses with religious roots, the number increases to roughly $1.2 trillion annually, while more liberal estimations which also include household incomes of religiously affiliated Americans put the total annual revenue of religious-based organizations at approximately $4.8 trillion.
This is about a third of America's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Although, assets of religious groups were still not taken into account for this measurement.
After conducting their analysis, the study authors found that combined revenue from the country's five largest religiously affiliated charities adds up to just under $38 billion.
These include the,
However, religion is also quickly becoming one of the nation's largest tax-free industries as reports have estimated that Christian media alone accounts for about $3.6-$6.8 billion conservatively.
According to Statista, the sales revenue of religious books peaked at over $17 billion in 2007 before dropping to $10.73 billion by 2017, making previous estimations of $3.5 billion pale in comparison.
After putting all of the data together, the study authors concluded that under the most conservative possible estimate, religion's $378 billion annual contribution can be broken up into six categories:
The study authors also conclude that local religious congregations,
Religion is clearly a very prominent and influential segment of our American life and economy.
As it does commit a great number of Americans to do good things for others, there is also a danger that it will increasingly become a tax-free media/outreach business model, rather than a faith and charity model where it would be able to do the most good...
|
