The tree of science and original sin: Do christian religious beliefs constrain the supply of scientists?

This paper considers the effects of religion and religiosity on the supply of scientists. Parameters of a random utility model are estimated from General Social Survey (GSS) data where the decision to earn a graduate degree in a quantitative science depends upon ability, and conditional on religious beliefs, the post-temporal afterlife costs. We find that the individual decision to pursue a graduate degree in science is sensitive to beliefs about the literal truth of the Bible and an afterlife. Our results also suggest that the underrepresentation of black Americans among graduate science degree holders is explained by their overrepresentation in the population of individuals raised in fundamentalist religious denominations.