Does the Association Between Illness-Related and Religious Searches on the Internet Depend on the Level of Religiosity?

Abstract

Recent research suggested that illness-related search predicts religious search on Google. In the current research, I aimed to replicate this finding and investigate whether such association depends on the existing level of religiosity. In Study 1, I reanalyze an existing data set on search behavior for 630 consecutive weeks and show that although illness-related search predicts religious search in 16 different countries, this association does not depend on the religiosity level of the countries. The same finding was replicated in within-nation comparisons of the U.S. states (Study 2) and Turkish provinces (Study 3). In all studies, during a period of 235 consecutive weeks, illness-related search predicted religious search, but the differences in religiosity among regions did not influence this association, which arguably might not be consistent with the terror management theory. I argue that such a finding shows the necessity of considering all alternative theories when interpreting the effects of mortality salience.