Religion, environmental guilt, and pro-environmental support: The opposing pathways of stewardship belief and belief in a controlling god

Eom, Kimin; Tok, Tricia Qian Hui; Saad, Carmel S.; Kim, Heejung S.

doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101717

Cited by 33 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Nevertheless, belief in “suprahuman powers” is often associated with relinquishing personal agency and subsequent inertia (Gifford 2011 ). Indeed, a recent study of Christians in the U.S. revealed opposing influences of stewardship beliefs and belief in a controlling god with respect to pro-environmental support (Eom et al 2021 ). Understanding which theological messages, including those concerned with identifying as part of a wider faith network, are most effectively activated for environmental outcomes would help both religious actors and policy-makers enhance positive engagement with faith communities.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Activating faith: pro-environmental responses to a Christian text on sustainability

et al. 2022

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With growing attention on the importance of values, beliefs and worldviews in shaping environmental outcomes, there remains little research on religion and sustainability transformations. We explored the impact of the Archbishop of Canterbury’s environmentally themed Lent Book 2020 “Saying Yes to Life” on environmental values, attitudes and behaviours of lay Christians. An online survey administered before and after reading the book assessed environmental values, New Ecological Paradigm (NEP), connectedness to nature and environmental behaviours, and collected open responses to questions about participants’ perceptions. Follow-up focus groups were also held to understand experiences of cognitive and behavioural change. Analysis of paired data revealed significant increases in environmental behavioural intentions after completing the book, especially for energy use, food and recycling. Some evidence for strengthening of NEP scores and connectedness to nature was also found. Open text responses corroborated with quantitative measures of behaviour change. Additionally, the majority of participants reported some form of reinforcement, confirmation, or further development or change in their beliefs and attitudes. This included a reduction in anthropocentric beliefs and greater appreciation of and obligation towards the natural world. Focus group discussions revealed diverse participant experiences, including having pre-existing theological beliefs affirmed, responding with new practical actions, connecting with spiritual experiences, and discovering systemic origins of unsustainability. Findings suggest potential for environmental interventions within religious contexts to shape mindsets, integrate theological views with environmental concerns, activate latent beliefs, and initiate and sustain pro-environmental behaviour. More intentional engagement with religion may facilitate transformative change for sustainability internally and externally, and across individual, organisational and societal domains.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Activating faith: pro-environmental responses to a Christian text on sustainability

et al. 2022

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“…It is important to note that consumers' feelings of guilt indicate that they have not achieved behavioral goals (e.g., environmentally friendly behaviors), which can drive motivation and change in attitudes toward environmentally friendly behaviors (Adams et al, 2020). It has also been shown in recent research that guilt plays a vital role in the change of attitudes toward environmental protection and the promotion of environmental behavior (Adams et al, 2020;Eom et al, 2021;Shipley and van Riper, 2021;Haj-Salem et al, 2022).…”

Section: Nostalgia Guilt and Awe Of Naturementioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of COVID-19 risk perception on pro-environmental behavior of Chinese consumers: Perspectives from affective event theory

Zhou

2023

Front. Psychol.

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IntroductionCOVID-19 has altered human cognition and changed the cultural values of society. However, there has not been much debate among scholars about whether these above changes have led to an increase in pro-environmental behavior (PEB) of Chinese consumers.MethodsA comprehensive model was developed based on affective event theory. An online questionnaire was distributed, and 501 usable questionnaires were collected. In addition, two complementary approaches were employed: partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and necessary condition analysis (NCA).ResultsThe PLS-SEM results showed that COVID-19 risk perception, nostalgia, the awe of nature, and attitude were found to have a positive effect on PEB; and the moderating effect of power distance belief (PD) between nostalgia (NO), attitude (AT) and PEB was confirmed. According to the NCA results, AT and NO are necessary conditions for the PEB of consumers.DiscussionThis study provides deeper insight into the understanding of consumers’ pro-environmental behavior in the context of COVID-19 through the combined use of PLS-SEM and NCA.

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“…Some studies that show that being religious has a negative impact on the tolerance of environmental harms with, for example, Dietz et al (1998) arguing that education, especially religious teachings that emphasize environmental sanctity, can increase environmental concern and reduce environmental harms. Findings of such studies show that being religious increases sustainable wildlife consumption and pro-environmental behaviors (Eom et al 2021;Johnson et al 2017).…”

Section: Religiosity Neutralization and Tolerance Of Environmental Harmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

An empirical test of techniques of neutralization regarding polluting behaviors in rural Iran

Tabar

South

Brisman

et al. 2022

Crime Law Soc Change

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Environmental pollution is regarded as a major environmental crime in most countries; Iran is no exception. This study examines water and soil polluting behavior among villagers in Jimabad, Mashhad County-a rural area in the Razavi Khorasan province in the northeastern region of Iran. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data from a random sample of 315 respondents in the population of the villagers of Jimabad. This article reports on the levels of water and soil polluting behavior among the respondents and the results are discussed in terms of techniques of neutralization, religiosity and cultural context.

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Religion, environmental guilt, and pro-environmental support: The opposing pathways of stewardship belief and belief in a controlling god

Cited by 33 publications

References 55 publications

Activating faith: pro-environmental responses to a Christian text on sustainability

Activating faith: pro-environmental responses to a Christian text on sustainability

The effect of COVID-19 risk perception on pro-environmental behavior of Chinese consumers: Perspectives from affective event theory

An empirical test of techniques of neutralization regarding polluting behaviors in rural Iran

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