Structuring the Religion‐Environment Connection: Identifying Religious Influences on Environmental Concern and Activism

Abstract

Recent research on the connection between religion and environmental concern and activism has led to divergent conclusions, with some studies finding a negative effect of religious factors, and others finding no influence or a positive effect. Using a conceptual apparatus of structuration theory, we explain how these divergent findings might be reconciled. We examine data from the 1993 General Social Survey to elaborate how religious affiliation, participation, and beliefs influence environmental concern and private and political environmental activism. Estimates from structural equation models are presented to show the sometimes competing direct and indirect effects of religious affiliation, participation, and beliefs on environmental concern and private and political environmental action.

Engaging in Pro-Environment Travel Behaviour Research from a Psycho-Social Perspective: A Review of Behavioural Variables and Theories

“…Indeed, empirical research shows some contradictory results [53,54], due to the complex interactions between religious beliefs, political orientation and environmental concern, as explained by Sherkat and Ellison [11]. These authors argue that Protestants are more willing to accept a personal pro-environment behaviour but, being influenced by conservative stances on the seriousness of risks, they give little support to environmental activism.…”

“…It refers to the risk perception, where people are supposed to adopt one of the four different views about the vulnerability of nature: (1) benign and resilient; (2) tolerant and moderately vulnerable; (3) ephemeral and fragile; (4) capricious and unpredictable whatever action is taken [9,10] Religious orientation It refers to the influence that religion has on people choices and behaviour, showing a potential effect on the willingness to make sacrifice [11] Social prescriptive norms They reflect the beliefs of "what we should do" [12] Social descriptive norms They are based on the direct observation of "what people do", being mostly context-dependent [12] Norms Personal norms/moral They are internalized social norms. They are activated when the subject is aware of the consequences of his/her own actions, deliberately taken [13] Normative believes They refer to the perceived behavioural expectations of the referent individuals or groups (parents, relatives, friends, etc.)…”

Education and religion: Individual, congregational, and cross-level interaction effects on biblical literalism

“…Studies repeatedly demonstrate that biblical literalism is related to a wide variety of religious and non-religious social outcomes and attitudes (Froese and Bader, 2010). Among these is biblical literalism's association with political intolerance (Froese et al, 2008), criminal punishment attitudes , reduced verbal ability (Sherkat, 2010), limited educational enrollment (Darnell and Sherkat, 1997), lower exposure to pornography (Sherkat and Ellison, 1997), lower marital infidelity (Burdette et al, 2007), increased corporal punishment and reduced parental shouting (Bartkowski and Wilcox, 2000), and weaker environmentalism (Wolkomir et al, 1997; but see Sherkat and Ellison, 2007). The effects of biblical literalism merit ongoing attention, as do the phenomenon's social antecedents.…”

Climate Change, Politics and Religion: Australian Churchgoers’ Beliefs about Climate Change

“…NCLS data concerning institutional activity by churches has shown that compared with other denominations, the Pentecostal churches and their clergy typically occupy last or close to last position on a range of measures of environmental activity [66,67]. Relatedly, ecotheological beliefs about the relationships between God, humanity and the natural world are important predictors of environmental attitudes (e.g., [68][69][70]) and help to explain denominational differences in Australia on an index of views about climate change [25]. Belief that humanity has the right to rule over nature-a perspective which impedes environmental concern-is more prevalent among Australian Pentecostals than among the mainstream Christian denominations [25].…”