Climate Change, Politics and Religion: Australian Churchgoers’ Beliefs about Climate Change
Journal Title: Religions - Year 2016, Vol 7, Issue 5
Abstract
A growing literature has sought to understand the relationships between religion, politics and views about climate change and climate change policy in the United States. However, little comparative research has been conducted in other countries. This study draws on data from the 2011 Australian National Church Life Survey to examine the beliefs of Australian churchgoers from some 20 denominations about climate change—whether or not it is real and whether it is caused by humans—and political factors that explain variation in these beliefs. Pentecostals, Baptist and Churches of Christ churchgoers, and people from the smallest Protestant denominations were less likely than other churchgoers to believe in anthropogenic climate change, and voting and hierarchical and individualistic views about society predicted beliefs. There was some evidence that these views function differently in relation to climate change beliefs depending on churchgoers’ degree of opposition to gay rights. These findings are of interest not only for the sake of international comparisons, but also in a context where Australia plays a role in international climate change politics that is disproportionate to its small population.
Authors and Affiliations
Miriam Pepper and Rosemary Leonard
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP25544
- DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/rel7050047
- Views 334
- Downloads 9
Faith-Based International Development Work: A Review
In the wake of the Faith-Based Initiative in the USA, substantial research has resulted in an increased awareness of religious congregations and faith-based organizations as welfare service providers. The next frontier...
Performing, Representing, and Archiving Belief: Religious Expressions among Jazz Musicians
The archives of African American jazz musicians demonstrate rich sites for studying expressions of religious belief and daily religious practice in public and private arenas, in professional and personal capacities. Hi...
Dieter Schnebel: Spiritual Music Today
This article presents an annotated English translation of the composer-theologian Dieter Schnebel’s seminal essay exploring music’s spiritual capacities. Speaking explicitly from his time and place, Schnebel considers...
Spiritual Care: The Nurses’ Experiences in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Physical aspects of disease management are often more evident than those related to spirituality or spiritual care. Spirituality may appear more crucial in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) when patients are exper...
Elizabeth Bishop and the Poetry of Meditation
Elizabeth Bishop’s poetry has won the admiration of a number of Christian poets and scholars. This essay argues that one reason for this is Bishop’s subtle engagement with the work of the poet-divines Gerard Manley Hop...