Affiliation:
1. University of Oklahoma
Abstract
AbstractThis article studies the relationship between individuals’ religiosity, political ideology, and environmental concern, in a cross-national setting. Drawing data from multiple waves of the World Values Survey (1999–2009), the final sample of this study includes 44,391 respondents nested in 43 countries. By using a multi-level modeling technique, the study finds that religiosity is positively associated with respondents’ environmental concerns in terms of willingness to pay for the environment, agreement with increased taxes to prevent environmental pollution, and choosing environmental protection over economic interests. Political ideology, measured via individuals’ self-placement on a left-right continuum, does not have a meaningful relationship with environmental concern in a global setting. Nevertheless, there is an interaction effect between religiosity and political ideology. Increased religiosity, particularly among more conservative individuals, is associated with a higher probability of environmental concern. Comparatively, religiosity virtually does not affect liberals’ concern for the natural environment. The gap between liberals and conservatives regarding the natural environment is more pronounced at lower levels of religiosity; as religiosity increases, the gap starts to narrow. Results suggest that religion has the potential to elevate some of the political barriers on the way towards reaching a collective environmental consciousness.
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Subject
Sociology and Political Science
Reference161 articles.
1. “The Unbearable Lightness of Politics: Climate Change Denial and Political Polarization.”;Antonio;The Sociological Quarterly,2011
2. “Civic Science for Sustainability: Reframing the Role of Experts, Policy-Makers and Citizens in Environmental Governance;Bäckstrand;Global Environmental Politics,2003
3. “A Dynamic Approach to the FDI-Environment Nexus: the Case of China and India.”;Baek;East Asian Economic Review,2009
4. “Freedom, Growth, and the Environment.”;Barrett;Environment and Development Economics,2000
Cited by
10 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献