title: Religion and attitudes towards nature in Britain.
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 pro-dominion attitudes in Britain are educational attainment and particularly levels of scientific knowledge about the natural environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, Queen's University of Belfast.
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Hayes
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marangudakis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D004777:Environment; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019368:Nature; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012067:Religion; D012961:Sociology; D006113:United Kingdom