Welcome to Francis Academic Press

Academic Journal of Business & Management, 2026, 8(7); doi: 10.25236/AJBM.2026.080708.

The Impact of Religious Beliefs on Household High-Risk Investment

Author(s)

Cao Yingying, Xu Xuejun

Corresponding Author:
Cao Yingying
Affiliation(s)

School of Management, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China

Abstract

Drawing on the 2023 China General Social Survey (CGSS) database, this paper constructs a Probit model to examine the impact of religious belief on high-risk investment behaviour within households. The findings reveal that households with religious beliefs are more inclined to engage in high-risk investments, with social interaction playing a mediating role in this process. By taking religious belief as its point of departure, this study holds both theoretical and practical significance.

Keywords

Religious beliefs; High-risk investment; Social interaction

Cite This Paper

Cao Yingying, Xu Xuejun. The Impact of Religious Beliefs on Household High-Risk Investment. Academic Journal of Business & Management (2026), Vol. 8, Issue 7: 48-55. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJBM.2026.080708.

References

[1] Becker S O, Woessmann L. Was weber wrong? A human capital theory of protestant economic history[J]. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2009, 124(2): 531-596.

[2] Kim H, Kim K T, Han S H. Religious differences and households’ investment decisions[J]. Journal of Financial Research, 2021, 44(4): 753-788.

[3] LU Jiye, ZHANG Chong. The Difference between Occidental Countries' Religious Culture and Savings Rate——The Evidence from the OECD Countries[J]. Review of Economy and Management, 2017, 33(1): 23-28.

[4] Renneboog L, Spaenjers C. Religion, economic attitudes, and household finance[J]. Oxford Economic Papers, 2012, 64(1): 103-127.

[5] ZENG Kanglin. On Culture, Religion and Financial Industry Development[J]. Credit Reference, 2014, 32(7): 1-6.

[6] Barro R J, McCleary R M. Religion and economic growth across countries[J]. American Sociological Review, 2003, 68(5): 760-781.

[7] Bai Y, Kung J K sing. Diffusing knowledge while spreading god’s message: Protestantism and economic prosperity in China, 1840–1920[J]. Journal of the European Economic Association, 2015, 13(4): 669-698.

[8] León A K, Pfeifer C. Religious activity, risk-taking preferences and financial behaviour: Empirical evidence from german survey data[J]. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 2017, 69: 99-107.

[9] YE Dezhu, LI Xiaolin, LI Yang. Religion and People’s Choice of Financial Assets: A Research Based on CGSS2010[J]. Quarterly Journal of Finance, 2016, 10(4): 57-75.

[10] YIN Zhichao,ZHANG Cheng. The Belief and Participation of China's Family Financial Market——An Empirical Study Based on CHFS Data[J]. The Theory and Practice of Finance and Economics, 2019, 40(3): 15-23.

[11] WANG Yu. Does Religion Belief Influence Family Financial Invest Behavior?[J]. Financial Theory & Practice, 2017(7): 57-63.

[12] QIU Xinguo. Religious Culture and the Diversification of Family Financial Assets[J]. Financial Development Review, 2020(10): 65-81.

[13] Xu L, Zhao N, Zheng J D. Religion, places of worship, and individual risk-taking in China[J]. International Review of Financial Analysis, 2025, 104: 104250.

[14] RUAN Rongping, LIU Li. Who Supply the Social Security in China’s Rural Areas?——A Study on the Security Function in a Religious Society[J]. Journal of Management World, 2011(4): 46-57.

[15] RUAN Rongpin, ZHENG Fengli, LIU Li. The Power of Religious Believing: Does Religion Influence Entrepreneurship?[J]. Economic Research Journal, 2014, 49(3): 171-184.

[16] Dehejia, R., DeLeire, T., & Luttmer, E. F. Insuring consumption and happiness through religious organizations[J]. Journal of Public Economics, 2007, 91(1-2): 259-279.

[17] PAN Li, ZHONG Chunping. Praying in Churches or Borrowing from Banks? Micro Evidences for Correlated Religionand Financial Behaviors[J]. China Economic Quarterly, 2016, 15(1): 125-148.

[18] Guiso L, Sapienza P, Zingales L. People’s opium? Religion and economic attitudes[J]. Journal of Monetary Economics, 2003, 50(1): 225-282.

[19] LIU Yingxi, LIANG Jie. The Impact of Religiosity on Trust and Deception:  Evidence from a Lab Experiment[J]. China Economic Studies, 2016(5): 52-63.