Are we all Cistercians now?

Abstract This study revisits the hypothesis that the Cistercian monastic order has had a persistent and still measurable influence on contemporary European work values, specifically the claim that there are “pre-Reformation roots” to a strong (‘Protestant’) work ethic. Theoretically, this claim faces historical objections regarding the function of work within Cistercian monastic thought and the resulting ambiguous doctrinal stance, especially concerning the work ethic of the lay population. Drawing on data from the European Values Study (EVS 2008) and an expanded dataset of medieval monastic communities, the analysis tests the relationship between the historical regional presence of Cistercians and modern work-related values of respondents. The study improves upon previous research, inter alia , by considering a broader range of measures of work ethic and by incorporating data on three other religious orders. The results cast doubt on the existence of a persistent Cistercian effect on European work ethic. Most indicators of a strong work ethic show no or theoretically unexpected associations with past Cistercian presence. Likewise, placebo outcomes and associations between other orders and work-ethic indicators suggest that the research design may be vulnerable to spurious results, which may explain the few positive findings in this as well as in previous studies.