1. Catholic Identity. Religious Context and Environmental Values in Western Europe: Evidence from the European Values Surveys.
- Author
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Hornsby-Smith, Michael P. and Procter, Michael
- Subjects
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RELIGION , *VALUES (Ethics) , *ENVIRONMENTALISM , *VOLUNTEER service , *SURVEYS - Abstract
This paper explores the relationships between religion, environmental and other values and voluntary activities using the data from the 1990 European Values Surveys (EVS). Previous work on these data had suggested that environmental concern is much more influenced by demographic characteristics such as education and income than by religious values. The way in which religious identities and convictions and, particularly, interpretations of scriptural passages are related to environmental concerns is a controversial one. Various sources suggest that the relationship between religion and environmentalist views among the populations of advanced industrialist societies is unclear. The 1990 EVS provides the opportunity to explore some of these relationships. This paper examines, using path analysis, the strength of both an individual Roman Catholic identity and a Roman Catholic national context on environmental values and propensity to appropriate action in pursuit of environmental concerns. It shows whether Catholics have internalized a sense of stewardship, which is reflected in higher levels of environmental concerns, in contrast to Protestants who place greater emphasis on economic growth, production as an end rather than a means, and mastery over nature.
- Published
- 1995
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