Under God’s protective wings: does exposure to violent conflict make Nigerians value God more?

Abstract Although many studies have examined how religion contributes to violence in Nigeria, there is a lack of research examining the reverse relationship. This study seeks to fill that gap by examining the correlation between exposure to violent conflict and religiosity. Religiosity is measured using an item in the World Values Survey (WVS) that asks respondents to rate the importance of God in their lives on a ten-point ordinal scale ranging from “not at all important” to “very important.” Exposure to violent conflict is assessed using the cumulative number of conflict incidents occurring within a 30 km radius of respondents’ dwellings. Using QGIS software, I construct the measure of conflict exposure by exploiting the geocoded dimensions of both the WVS and conflict data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED). Regression analysis reveals that as conflict exposure increases, so does the importance Nigerians attach to God in their lives. The positive relationship persists when the data are disaggregated by religious affiliation (Muslims and Christians), gender (men and women), and region of residence (North and South), with models estimated for each subsample. A plausible explanation for this result is that the existential threat posed by violent conflict prompts individuals to rely on God as a coping strategy.