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Religiosity and Voluntary Simplicity: The Mediating Role of Spiritual Well-Being

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Abstract

Although there has been considerable theoretical support outlining a positive relationship between religiosity and voluntary simplicity, there is limited empirical evidence validating this relationship. This study examines the relationships among religious orientations (Allport and Ross in J Pers Soc Psychol 5(4):432–443, 1967) and voluntary simplicity in a sample of Australian consumers. The results demonstrate that intrinsic religiosity is positively related to voluntary simplicity; however, there is no relationship between extrinsic religiosity and voluntary simplicity. Furthermore, this research investigates the processes through which intrinsic religiosity affects voluntary simplicity. The relationship between intrinsic religiosity and voluntary simplicity is sequentially mediated by communal/personal well-being and environmental well-being. The findings not only identify a prosocial role of intrinsic religiosity in motivating voluntary simplicity, but also indicate that secular pursuits that enhance communal/personal well-being and environmental well-being may also motivate voluntary simplicity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bond Business School, Bond University, Robina, QLD, 4226, Australia

    Rafi M. M. I. Chowdhury

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Appendices

Appendix 1

See Table 11.

Table 11 Scales for intrinsic religiosity and extrinsic religiosity (based on Allport and Ross 1967; modified by Vitell et al. 2005)
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Appendix 2

See Table 12.

Table 12 Scales for different domains of spiritual well-being (based on Gomez and Fisher 2003)
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Appendix 3

See Table 13.

Table 13 Scale for voluntary simplicity (modified from Iyer and Muncy 2009)
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Chowdhury, R.M.M.I. Religiosity and Voluntary Simplicity: The Mediating Role of Spiritual Well-Being. J Bus Ethics 152, 149–174 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-016-3305-5

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