The Paradoxes of Religiocentrism in South Korea

Abstract

Religious diversity, encompassing three religious groups, i.e., Buddhists, Protestants, and Roman Catholics, in addition to a large number of non-religious people, has been overlooked in examining attitudes and behavior of South Koreans, even though religion can function as a major divisive line in a society largely lacking ethnic diversity until recently. Using a nationally representative survey, the present study shows the negative consequences of religiocentrism, measured by emotional distances from religious in-group to out-groups. Individuals who have high levels of religiocentrism are more likely to be prejudiced against members of other religious groups and immigrants, less likely to have permissive views on homosexuality and abortion, more likely to hold authoritarian positions regarding social issues, and less likely to trust others and vote. At the same time, people exhibiting religiocentrism tend to report higher levels of happiness. This study calls for institutional efforts to foster mutual understanding across different religious groups in order to accumulate social capital, even as doing so may negatively affect subjective well-being by undermining religious in-group solidarity.