Study says conservatives carry less coin

  A Duke sociologist found that conservative Protestants (CP) saved and accumulated less money than the general population.
  Lisa Keister’s study showed that the average CP had a net worth of $26,000 while the average American had a net worth of $66,200.
  Keister said a typical CP is someone who attends an Assembly of God, Church of Christ, Nazarene or a Pentecostal church.
  “The one big difference is the conservative Protestants’ assumption that God is the owner of money and people are the managers of it,” Keister said. “They are doing with their money what God wants them to do with it, so that does mean that it is not sitting in their bank accounts.”
  She said this group was the most likely to believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, so tithing and sacrificial giving were important parts of their faith.
  She said that these groups were also the most likely to marry young, have children early and not have women work outside the home, which would hinder wealth accumulation.
  www.onenewsnow.com, 4/2/08