Testing the cultural-invariance hypothesis: A global analysis of the relationship between scientific knowledge and attitudes to science
Patrick Sturgis,
Ian Brunton-Smith,
Nick Allum
et al.
Abstract:A substantial body of research has demonstrated that science knowledge is correlated with attitudes towards science, with most studies finding a positive relationship between the two constructs; people who are more knowledgeable about science tend to be more positive about it. However, this evidence base has been almost exclusively confined to high and middle-income democracies, with poorer and less developed nations excluded from consideration. In this study, we conduct the first global investigation of the s… Show more
Although public perceptions of science and religion are the focus of a large body of scholarship, we know much less about religious leaders’ views of science and its relationship to religion. Using data from a national survey of religious leaders in the United States, our latent class analysis finds three underlying groups of clergy based on their engagement with science and their beliefs about its interface with religion. Those with a modern clerical perspective on science and religion (40 percent) accommodate mainstream scientific theories alongside their religious beliefs and they discuss science frequently with congregants. Those with a traditional clerical perspective (29 percent) are dismissive of mainstream scientific theories although they rarely discuss science with congregants. Those with a critical clerical perspective (31 percent) are also skeptical of science, yet these clergy frequently discuss science with their congregants. We also find that these latent classes cut across religious traditions and political ideologies and are associated with clergy's social views and political participation. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings in light of religious leaders’ roles in their congregations and communities.
Although public perceptions of science and religion are the focus of a large body of scholarship, we know much less about religious leaders’ views of science and its relationship to religion. Using data from a national survey of religious leaders in the United States, our latent class analysis finds three underlying groups of clergy based on their engagement with science and their beliefs about its interface with religion. Those with a modern clerical perspective on science and religion (40 percent) accommodate mainstream scientific theories alongside their religious beliefs and they discuss science frequently with congregants. Those with a traditional clerical perspective (29 percent) are dismissive of mainstream scientific theories although they rarely discuss science with congregants. Those with a critical clerical perspective (31 percent) are also skeptical of science, yet these clergy frequently discuss science with their congregants. We also find that these latent classes cut across religious traditions and political ideologies and are associated with clergy's social views and political participation. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings in light of religious leaders’ roles in their congregations and communities.
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