This paper argues that the capitalist spirit associated with Max Weber’s Protestant Ethics is not associated with Protestantism but with the modernization phase of economic development. A preference for hard work is also found amongst other religions and non-religious people at times of high economic growth and decreases after the modernization phase. We find a robust relationship between the level and growth of economic development during an individual’s childhood and this individual’s work ethic. An epidemiological approach is applied to indicate that the direction of the relationship runs from growth and the level of economic development at the time values are formed, to work ethic. Protestant adherence has a positive relation with work ethic, but this relation is less robust than economic development.

本文认为，与马克斯·韦伯的新教伦理有关的资本主义精神与新教无关，而与经济发展的现代化阶段有关。在经济高速增长的时期，在其他宗教和非宗教人士中也发现了对辛勤工作的偏爱，而在现代化阶段之后，辛勤工作就减少了。我们发现一个人的童年时期的经济发展水平和增长与该人的职业道德之间存在牢固的关系。流行病学方法用于表明这种关系的方向是从价值形成时的增长和经济发展水平出发，以职业道德为导向。新教徒的遵守与职业道德有积极的关系，但这种关系不如经济发展健全。