The Developmental Emergence of Religious Parochialism in Peru and Uganda

Abstract

Though religion provides a source of community and meaning for individuals throughout the world, it can simultaneously sow division—creating barriers between religious in-groups and out-groups. The current studies examine how such religious bias emerges in childhood and whether, in line with views of God as impartial and fair, children perceive God as an equitable actor. In two studies, we presented children (5- to 12-year-olds) in Peru (n = 241) and Uganda (n = 284) with a modified Dictator Game. In Study 1, participants shared resources between religious in-group and out-group members from their own perspective and then from God’s or an adult’s perspective. In Study 2, participants divided resources between in-groups and out-groups in terms of religiosity (religious vs. non-religious; replicating Study 1), nationality (own nationality vs. not), or minimal group membership (blue group vs. gray group). Children exhibited clear in-group bias in favor of religious groups (Studies 1 and 2). This religious bias was similar in magnitude to their national in-group bias and stronger than their minimal in-group bias. Children additionally viewed an adult as sharing their own bias across conditions and perceived God as more biased in favor of the religious in-group and less biased in favor of the minimal in-group than themselves. The results of these two studies have the potential to shed light on how religious biases emerge over the course of development and whether taking God’s perspective can be an effective way to combat religious bias.