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Corona and the Cross: Religious Affiliation, Church Bans, and Covid Infections

Author

Listed:
  • Strulik Holger

    (Department of Economics, University of Göttingen, Platz der Göttinger Sieben 3, 37073, Göttingen, Germany)

  • Yakubenko Slava

    (Department of Economics, Westminster International University in Tashkent, Tashkent, Uzbekistan)

Abstract

We examine the effectiveness of church service bans in containing the spread of Covid-19 in Germany. We furthermore investigate how differences in the local religious affiliations affect infections and the effectiveness of church bans and other church-related restrictions. We find that, without a ban, infections per capita are higher in districts (Landkreise) with larger shares of religious population. In panel analysis, controlling for district fixed effects and a host of potential confounders, we find that church bans effectively reduce infections. For a ban in place for 14 days before a considered day, the predicted growth factor of infections is lower by 0.9 of its standard deviation. Finally, we show that Easter contributed significantly to the growth of infections in 2020 and 2021. The growth factor of infections was lower in regions with larger shares of Catholics and Protestants during Easter 2020 (when a church ban was in place) but not in 2021 (without a ban).

Suggested Citation

  • Strulik Holger & Yakubenko Slava, 2023. "Corona and the Cross: Religious Affiliation, Church Bans, and Covid Infections," German Economic Review, De Gruyter, vol. 24(3), pages 271-304, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:germec:v:24:y:2023:i:3:p:271-304:n:4
    DOI: 10.1515/ger-2022-0131
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    COVID-19; infections; religious affiliations; religious service bans; social distancing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)
    • Z12 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Religion

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