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

Abstract

The current research examines differences in what motivates environmentally sustainable behavior between more and less religious people in the United States. We found that religiosity moderates the extent to which environmental beliefs predict pro-environmental support. Specifically, environmental beliefs predicted pro-environmental support less strongly among more religious people than less religious people (Studies 1 and 2). Using a correlational (Study 2) and an experimental (Study 3) design, we further found that one particular aspect of religiosity—believing in a controlling god—reduced the importance of personally held environmental beliefs in shaping one’s support for pro-environmental actions. Our findings suggest that motivation to act based on personal beliefs may be attenuated among people who are religious because they believe in an external source of control. Sociocultural factors, such as religion, shape the psychological underpinnings of social actions, and the present research underscores the importance of understanding psychological diversity in promoting support toward environmental sustainability.

The Psychology of Proenvironmental Support: In Search of Global Solutions for a Global Problem

“…This deemphasis on self-expression in religion influences what primarily drives action. Our research has found that how strongly environmental beliefs predict proenvironmental action depends on religiosity (Eom, Saad, & Kim, 2019). Using international data from 32 countries ( International Social Survey Programme , 2010; ISSP Research Group, 2019), we found that religiosity, both at the individual and national levels, moderated the association between personal awareness of environmental issues and proenvironmental action.…”

Beliefs and Social Norms as Precursors of Environmental Support: The Joint Influence of Collectivism and Socioeconomic Status

“…The study of this diversity in human responses to climate change has become an increasingly important project in psychology, and in the social, behavioral, and biological sciences more generally (Hornsey et al, 2016; Pearson & Schuldt, 2018). Heeding this call, a number of research programs have examined how sociocultural characteristics such as culture (Eom et al, 2016; Tam & Chan, 2017), socioeconomic status (SES; Ballew et al, 2020; Eom et al, 2018), religion (Eom et al, 2020; Schuldt et al, 2017), and race (Schuldt & Pearson, 2016) affect climate change beliefs and sustainability behaviors (see Eom et al, 2019 for review).…”

Restoration and Conservation Based on Community Empowerment and Religious Understanding

“…This is the explanation of the third point in table 1. Religion is a source of external control [21], control that comes from God. Religion guarantees sustainable behavior through the concept of an omniscient divinity, the concept of karma or reward and sin.…”