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Abstract

Religious rituals are ubiquitous. Recent research indicates they can powerfully affect social connection, increasing collective sentiments and behaviors. However, the extent to which these effects depend on religious commitment remains unclear. Here, we use longitudinal data to investigate this question in a natural ritual setting by comparing the responses of religiously committed Hindus and non-Hindus immediately after a public Diwali celebration in New Zealand, and for two weeks following. Effects of time and level of religious commitment are assessed on five targets that measure reported social connection of participants to themselves and to specific groups: “Myself,” “My family and friends,” “Work colleagues/university peers,” “People who celebrate Diwali,” and “Humanity in general.” We find that participation in the civic religious ritual affects social connection of all participants, with stronger effects among religiously committed Hindus. Private religious behavior appears integral to the mechanisms underpinning the amplification of solidarity at public rituals, as we find separation in the level of reported social connection to Diwali celebrants between practicing and non-practicing Hindus. Though religious commitment leads to greater perceived social connection, this study additionally demonstrates that in a religiously diverse democracy, a civic religious ritual may foster greater democratic unions across religious differences.