Religious Orientation, In-Group Favoritism and Out-Group Bias: The Case of Selected High Schools in Akaki Kality Sub City, Addis Ababa
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Date
2026-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The main objective of this study was to examine the relationship among religious orientation, in-group favoritism and out-group bias. The study was conducted in one public school and two private schools in the Akaki Kality sub-City. The participants of the study were 370 (171 males and 199 females) randomly selected from grades 9-12. Intrinsic/Extrinsic–Revised (I/E-R) scale, Quest religious scale (QRS) and General Evaluation Scale (GES) were used to collect data. The descriptive analysis result showed low level of intrinsic and extrinsic religious orientation, moderate level of quest religious orientation, high level of in-group favoritism and low level of out-group bias. Further, correlational analyses indicated that intrinsic religious orientation and in-group favoritism had weak and positive relationships; extrinsic religious orientation and in-group bias had weak and negative relationships; quest religious orientation and in-group favoritism had no relationship; intrinsic religious orientation and out-group bias had weak and negative relationship; extrinsic religion orientation and out-group bias had weak and positive relationships. The regression analyses result showed that factors of religious orientation significantly predict in-group favoritism 6.7% of the variance; and also the Out-group bias predicating in 4.4% of the variance. The MANOVA’s results showed that grade level had a moderate predictive effect on out-group bias, but had a large predictive effect on in-group favoritism. The study concludes that the way people experience and practice their faith influences the level of in-group and out-group bias they exhibit. Therefore, religious leaders and educational policymakers should foster inclusive religious frameworks that minimize out-group bias and encourage peaceful coexistence.
Key words: Religious Orientation, In-group Bias, Out-group Bias, Religion, Students
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Keywords
Religious Orientation, In-group Bias, Out-group Bias, Religion, Students