Minority Religious Groups and Life Satisfaction in India

The link between individual religiosity and life satisfaction has been studied from different perspectives but the general conclusion is that religiosity makes people happier. Extant studies, however, have never considered minority religious groups in areas of conflict. This article therefore analyses India, a multi-religious country largely characterised by religious conflicts. Membership of a minority religion which is in conflict with the dominant group is likely to decrease life satisfaction; this effect can be reversed if the group is concentrated in a particular region (in which it constitutes the majority).