Measurement of Religiosity and Work Obligations Among Israeli Youth

Abstract

The relationship between religiosity and the obligation work norm (Harpaz, 1985, 1986) was studied using a sample of Jewish respondents in Israel. The participants were 102 students, half of them religious and the rest secular. All the subjects had had some work experience. A 15-item questionnaire presented hypothetical events for which declared obligation (intrinsic and extrinsic) was measured. Level of obligation was significantly higher in the religious group than in the nonreligious group. However, extrinsic obligations that were not considered as relevant to Jewish ethical laws (e.g., paying taxes) were not higher in the religious group.