Citation

Hayes BG, Marangudakis M. Br. J. Sociol. 2001; 52(1): 139-155.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, London School of Economics and Political Science, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1080/00071310020023073

PMID

unavailable

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 prodominion attitudes in Britain are educational attainment and particularly levels of scientific knowledge about the natural environment.

Keywords

Britain; Christian; environment; nature; Religion