Publication Type
Journal Article
Version
acceptedVersion
Publication Date
1-2021
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.
Keywords
Religion, culture, sustainability, environmental beliefs, pro-environmental action
Discipline
Applied Behavior Analysis | Place and Environment | Religion
Research Areas
Psychology
Publication
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Volume
47
Issue
6
First Page
891
Last Page
905
ISSN
0146-1672
Publisher
SAGE Publications (UK and US)
Embargo Period
4-29-2021
Citation
EOM, Kimin, SAAD, Carmel S., & KIM, Heejung S..(2021). Religiosity moderates the link between environmental beliefs and pro-environmental support: The role of belief in a controlling god. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 47(6), 891-905.
Available at: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/3300
Copyright Owner and License
Authors
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Additional URL
https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167220948712