Empirical Analysis of the Influence of Religiosity on Completed Fertility in Comparative Perspective

This chapter presents and interprets results of the comparative data analyses differentiated by country and gender based on the Generations and Gender Survey. Section 6.1 introduces the GGS data employed, describes the variables used and the statistical method. Thereafter, section 6.2 gives a descriptive overview about the relevant GGS data: completed fertility and parities (6.2.1) as well as religious indicators (6.2.2). Additionally, the suitability of the variables is discussed. Subsection 6.2.3 tries to find out whether the theoretical presuppositions made in chapter 4 apply. Subsection 6.2.4 investigates the question of whether religiosity influences individuals’ behavior as postulated. Section 6.3 interprets and discusses the results of several Poisson (and negative binomial) regression estimations.