skinny:
The cause and effect might be reversed in this case. I think that it’s more likely that poorer people and those with limited means end up turning towards religion more often as a last grasp of hope to get out of their bad situations. A lot of poor people would see more value in it than people who are wealthy and may not have a care in the world. When you’re barely living check to check and have to choose between heat or electricity to go without this month with no change in your situation in site, you’d tend to have more of an urge to pray for some miracles and look for belief that somehow things are going to work out for you in the end. The same as people on their death beds or in death row.
But are those poorer people with limited means in these bad situations because they lack the critical thinking and problem solving abilities (intelligence) to climb out of it?