SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 29: The economy of nations whose people hold firm religious beliefs, especially with regard to heaven and hell, tend to grow faster, says a US study.

According to the study, conducted by the Harvard University Economist Robert Barro and Political Scientist Rachel McCleary, the countries where the belief in hell is strong, growth of gross domestic product runs about 0.5 per cent higher than average. These countries include Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan and Turkey.

“The Muslim belief in hell is often stronger than in Christianity. Punishment from hell is vivid and clear-cut and apparently has more effect on behaviour than the idea of heaven,” says the study.

The study pointed out that as education increases religious views prosper. This is contrary to the arguments of philosopher David Hume and Sigmund Freud, the father of psychiatry, who had argued that educated people are more scientific, and thus more inclined to reject religious beliefs that are based upon supernatural forces.

The Barro-McCleary study is based partly on the World Values Survey, which looked at a representative sample of people in 66 countries in all six inhabited continents between 1981 and 1997.

It questioned at least 1,000 people in each country about their basic values and beliefs: What is their religious affiliation? How often do they attend a religious service? Were they raised religiously or not?

Their work aims, among other things, to see if there is a link between religion and economic growth in nations as some economists believe that religion, by teaching honesty, fairness, trust and integrity can promote economic growth.

Almost a century ago, political philosopher and sociologist Max Weber suggested that the Protestant Reformation triggered a mental revolution that made possible the advent of modern capitalism. The Barro-McCleary research backs his theory with statistics.