Christianity, Personality and Environmental Concern among 13- to 15-year-old Students in England and Wales

Abstract

This study explores the connection between Christianity and environmental concern among a sample of 23,714 13- to 15-year-old students (who self-identify as Christian or self-identify as no religion) employing three scales of Attitude toward Christianity, Conservative Christian Belief, and Environmental Concern and Behaviour, together with measures of personality, church attendance, and personal prayer. The key findings are that: religious behaviours, church attendance and personal prayer, are significant predictors, with churchgoing and praying students holding higher levels of environmental concern and behaviour; religious affect is more significant than religious behaviours, with a positive attitude toward Christianity accounting for greater variance than churchgoing and prayer in predicting higher levels of environmental concern and behaviour; conservative Christian belief is associated with lower levels of environmental concern and behaviour (after taking into account religious practice and religious affect); and nominal Christian affiliation is associated with lower levels of environmental concern and behaviour.