There is growing interest in the causes of energy poverty. This study examines the relationship between Protestantism and energy poverty. Employing household panel data for Australia, our preferred estimates, which account for endogeneity of Protestantism, suggest that being Protestant is associated with a 1.7 percentage point decrease in the probability that a respondent is in energy poverty based on Low-Income High Cost and a 2.4 percentage point decrease in the probability that a respondent is unable to heat their home. This result is robust to alternative ways to addressing endogeneity, alternative specifications and other checks. We also find that Locus of Control, income, hours worked, and social capital are channels through which Protestantism lowers the likelihood of being in energy poverty. Our findings shed new light on how cultural, and specifically religious, beliefs influence the proclivity to be in energy poverty and may assist policymakers to identify ways to help reduce the incidence of energy poverty.

人们对能源贫困的原因越来越感兴趣。本研究探讨了新教与能源贫困之间的关系。使用澳大利亚的家庭面板数据，我们的首选估计值说明了新教的内生性，表明新教与基于低收入高成本的受访者处于能源贫困状态的概率降低 1.7 个百分点和 2.4受访者无法供暖的概率降低了一个百分点。这一结果对于解决内生性、替代规范和其他检查的替代方法是稳健的。我们还发现，控制点、收入、工作时间和社会资本是新教降低能源贫困可能性的渠道。我们的研究结果为文化、