Towards a clarification of the association between religiosity and life satisfaction

Following recent contradictory findings, the present aim was to further examine the association between religiosity and life satisfaction. The Francis Scale of Attitude Towards Christianity (Francis & Stubbs, 1987) and the Satisfaction With Life Scale (Diener, Emmons, Larsen & Griffin, 1985) were completed by 55 (31 male and 24 female) Northern Irish adults and 141 (50 male and 91 female) Northern Irish students. Among the adult sample, a significant association was found between scores on the Francis Scale of Attitude Towards Christianity and the Satisfaction With Life Scale for both males and females. However, among the student sample, no significant association was found for either males or females. These data are consistent with previous findings with evidence that, among Northern Irish adults, but not among Northern Irish students, those with a more positive attitude towards Christianity are more satisfied with life.