LIFE SATISFACTION AND RELIGION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN TURKEY AND GERMANY

Abstract

This paper analyses the religiosity and life satisfaction in Turkey and Germany with considering moderating role of age, health, and gender. Turkey exhibits high levels of religiosity, while Germany represents a country with more diverse religious population and higher level of secularity. It aims to provide a broad insight on how religiosity determines life satisfaction. It uses data from the 7th wave of the World Values Survey (2017-2022) to create a religiosity index based on how important God is. How often people go to religious services. How frequently they pray and whether they see themselves as religious. People's levels of satisfaction are rated on a 10-point scale to determine their level of life satisfaction. The results demonstrate that both nations’ life fulfillment is highly correlated with general health. Those with better health reported higher levels of life satisfaction. Another important determinant is age, especially in Germany where people of older age are more satisfied with their lives. Gender differences are significant in Germany, while in Turkey there are no much distinctions. Nonetheless, women express greater levels of life satisfaction. The finding presented in the study underscores how religiosity interacts with cultural factors and demographic characteristics to predict life satisfaction. These insights can help policymakers, social service professionals, and religious institutions to improve life quality and satisfaction in different cultures and religions. Future research should look into how long-term changes in culture and religion affect people.