Associations of Physicians’ Religious Characteristics With 2 Intrinsic Work Motivations
| Characteristics | Family Emphasized Service to Poor (Strongly Agree) (%) | P Value (χ2) | Practice of Medicine is a Calling (Strongly Agree) (%) | P Value (χ2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Note: Percentages of physicians from each religious category who strongly agreed with each of the 2 measures of intrinsic motivation. For example, among those with low spirituality, 21% strongly agreed that their family emphasized service to the poor. Tests of association are by survey design adjusted χ2 tests. | ||||
| * Includes atheist, agnostic, and none. | ||||
| All physicians (N = 1,144) | 29 | – | 30 | – |
| Spirituality | ||||
| Low | 21 | 17 | ||
| Moderate | 28 | <.001 | 26 | <.001 |
| High | 41 | 53 | ||
| Intrinsic religiosity | ||||
| Low | 23 | 18 | ||
| Moderate | 28 | <.001 | 26 | <.001 |
| High | 37 | 47 | ||
| Religious attendance | ||||
| Never | 27 | 22 | ||
| Once a month or less | 25 | .01 | 24 | <.001 |
| Twice a month or more | 34 | 38 | ||
| Religious affiliation | ||||
| None* | 24 | 20 | ||
| Catholic | 27 | 28 | ||
| Jewish | 26 | <.001 | 20 | <.001 |
| Protestant | 28 | 37 | ||
| Other religion | 48 | 35 | ||
| Religious beliefs influence medicine | ||||
| Strongly disagree/disagree | 21 | 16 | ||
| Agree | 27 | <.001 | 26 | <.001 |
| Strongly agree | 54 | 73 | ||