Religious Involvement, Education, and Subjective Well-Being Among Older Adults in Taiwan

This study examines the relationship between religious involvement and subjective well-being among older adults in Taiwan, focusing on the moderating role of education. Analyzing data from a representative sample of older adults in Taichung, we found that religious participation was positively associated with happiness across the entire sample, regardless of education level. However, identifying as Catholic or other Christian was significant only among the highly educated. When examining life satisfaction, a significant interaction between religious participation and education was found. The positive effect of religious participation was evident among the less educated but absent among the highly educated. These findings suggest that different dimensions of religious involvement may have distinct impacts on well-being, depending on one's social standing.