A study by Mays Business School at Texas A&M University, which zeroed in on how companies in areas of high levels of religion approached accounting, has found that companies in America’s Bible Belt states may do a better job of “thumping accounting fraud” than those in other states. (Map: Bible Belt states/Wikipedia).

An article in The Birmingham News by Michael Tomberline outlined how the study conducted by accounting faculty members Sean McQuire, Thomas Omer and Nathan Sharp, used data from Gallup Inc. in their analysis, which also found that small and medium-sized firms tend to use religion as a self-regulating mechanism in the absence of more formal external monitoring.

Gallup surveys show the top Bible Belt states where residents indicated that religion is important in their daily lives are Mississippi (86 per cent), Alabama (84 percent) and Tennessee (79 per cent). Texas came in 13th with 71.9 per cent. At the bottom were Alaska (48 per cent), Vermont (46 percent) and New York (44 per cent).

Betting companies might find this equally interesting because according to the report, overall, the study found a 48.8 per cent decrease in the odds that a firm headquartered in a “religious” county will be sued for wrongful accounting than in less religious ones. On average, when you hold everything constant, accounting malpractices are less aggressive in areas with high religiosity. A lesson for Europe turning its back on Christianity?

G. Bonett

MARSALFORN