Williams, Emyr, Francis, Leslie J. and Village, Andrew. (2010) Marriage, religion and human flourishing: how sustainable is the classic Durkheim thesis in contemporary Europe? Mental Health, Religion & Culture, Vol.13 (No.1). pp. 93-104. ISSN 1367-4676

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Abstract

This paper draws on the three waves of the European Values Survey across five countries (Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Spain and Sweden) to investigate the relationship between indicators of positive psychology (conceptualised as feelings of happiness and satisfaction with life), religiosity (conceptualised as self-assigned religious affiliation and self-reported religious attendance) and marital status. The results demonstrate that religiosity is, in general, positively correlated with both indicators of positive psychology. Further, across all waves and all countries, the pattern emerges that those respondents who are married are likely to report higher levels of happiness and greater satisfaction in life. These data provide contemporary support for the classic Durkheim thesis linking the two institutions of marriage and religion with human flourishing.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BL Religion
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Institute of Education
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Durkheim, Émile, 1858-1917, World Values Survey, Marriage -- Europe, Solidarity -- Religious aspects, Quality of life -- Research -- Europe
Journal or Publication Title:	Mental Health, Religion & Culture
Publisher:	Routledge
ISSN:	1367-4676
Date:	January 2010
Volume:	Vol.13
Number:	No.1
Page Range:	pp. 93-104
Identification Number:	10.1080/13674670903203766
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Open Access
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URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/2940

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