Religiosity and Life satisfaction in Iran

Life satisfaction is concept which has received considerable attention in scientific research in last decades. This study examines the relationship between life satisfaction and the level of religiosity in Iran. Using the data from the third wave of national survey of Iranian values and attitudes, this study investigated the effects of religiosity dimensions including faith in God, personal prayer and mosque attendance on the level of life satisfaction. The national survey was conducted in 2015 with a national sample of 14906 participants including both urban and rural population by ministry of culture and Islamic Guidance. Unlike previous studies, the results indicate that difference in life satisfaction among Shiites and Sunnis is not statistically significant. In addition, the findings of the regression models show that, at the national level, all three variables of trust in God (Tavakol), daily prayer and mosque attendance are directly and positively related to life satisfaction. However, if the sample of the research is confined to the province of Tehran, such a relationship cannot be verified. It is concluded that this difference in the findings may be due to statistical constraints or the lack of proper knowledge regarding the relationship between religiosity and a sense of life satisfaction in Iranian society.