Author: Vernon Murray, Prema Nakra, and Sherry Dingman (Marist College)

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ABSTRACT

Data from Gallup polls and the U.S. Department of State indicate that nations that score high in religiosity may or may not have strongly opposed human trafficking. However, nations that are low in religiosity have consistently opposed human trafficking. In this article, we investigate relationships between religiosity, religion, and poverty in nineteen Asian countries. The purpose is to identify opportunities to use either economic aid or religion-based social marketing appeals to oppose trafficking. A Spearman’s rho correlation indicated a statistically significant relationship between poverty and religiosity. Religiosity was significantly positively related to the percentage of Muslims in the country and significantly negatively related to the percentage of members of “Other” religions. Overall, the most attractive segments for religion-based social marketing appeals were Hindus and Muslims.