RELIGIOUS EFFECTS ON ENVIRONMENTALISM

Understanding oi religious influences on environmentalism has been bia sed by political conflicts. This article summarizes the demographic pa rameters of environmental concern, then evaluates religious and politi cal influences on that concern and related activity, using General Soc ial Surveys data. It assesses influences on willingness to pay for env ironmental programs, individual environmental behaviors, and participa tion in political activities for related causes. Young people and wome n express greater environmental concern, but older persons more often engage in individual environmental activities such as recycling. The a ssociation of fundamentalism with political conservatism compounds int erpretation of religion because political conservatives are antagonist ic to environmentalism. Religious affiliation strength has positive ef fects on environmental concern, and worship attendance has positive ef fects on individual environmental behaviors, when fundamentalism and p olitical variables are controlled. This article is part of the third s tage of literature on religion and environmentalism in which positive as well as negative patterns are recognized.