Religion and attitudes towards nature in Britain

Abstract

Religious institutions have been identified as important conduits in shaping social attitudes toward nature and the environment. Using Lynn White's historical thesis that Judeo-Christianity has cherished the domination of nature ('dominion' belief) by humans as our frame of reference, this article examines the impact of religion, specifically Abrahamic and Judeo-Christian beliefs, on environmental attitudes in Britain. Based on the 1993 British Social Attitudes Survey, a nationally representative sample of the adult population in Britain, the multivariate results of this paper suggest that: (a) there is no significant difference between Christians and non-Christians concerning environmental attitudes; (b) Roman Catholics are the most sceptic toward nature among Christian denominations; and (c) irrespective of religious identification, the two most notable and consistent factors in determining pro-dominion attitudes in Britain are educational attainment and particularly levels of scientific knowledge about the natural environment.

Of Leopards and Other Lovely Frightful Things

“…Schultz, Zelezny, and Dalrymple 2000). Still other studies demonstrate no significant differences between Christians and non-Christians in regard to environmental attitudes, finding instead that level of education, proper understanding of science, political conservatism, or other demographic variables are better predictors of pro-or anti-environmentalism (Hayes and Marangudakis 2001). make no difference to the jungle, an opinion out of sync with current thinking among scientifically trained wildlife biologists. The simple fact of statistical variation leads us away from equating indigenous Rajasthani religion in the area, be it shamanism or some other sacred profession and affiliation, with pro-environmental sentiments.…”

Religiosity Moderates the Link Between Environmental Beliefs and Pro-Environmental Support: The Role of Belief in a Controlling God

“…However, empirical evidence has been mixed. Some studies have found a negative relationship between religiosity and pro-environmental tendencies (e.g., Eckberg & Blocker, 1989;Hand & Van Liere, 1984), while other studies have found no difference between nonreligious and religious groups in environmentalism (e.g., Biel & Nilsson, 2005;Hayes & Marangudakis, 2001) or even a positive relationship (e.g., Kanagy & Willits, 1993). Even when controlling for political orientation to better examine the net effect of religiosity on pro-environmental outcomes, the research thus far has yet to reach a clear consensus (e.g., Eckberg & Blocker, 1989vs.…”

Christian climate care: Slow change, modesty and eco‐theo‐citizenship

“…A series of studies have aimed to identify the relationship between concern about climate change and religious affiliation or belief. Until recently, heavy emphasis was placed on samples from the USA (Koehrsen, ), although this is changing, with a growing number of studies of countries in the British Isles (Clements, ; DeLashmutt, ; Fahey et al., ; Marangudakis & Hayes, ) and cross‐national studies that include the UK (Hagevi, ; Hayes & Marangudakis, ; Nicinska, ). Yet, as many multivariate studies which include religion alongside other factors in assessing environmental attitudes observe, religious affiliation does not necessarily have a strong correlation to environmental attitudes or behaviours (Djupe & Hunt, ; Hope & Jones, ; Village, ).…”