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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Environmental Psychology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1432142

The Environmental Impact of Religious Beliefs in the East and West: Evidence from China

Provisionally accepted
Junyan Yang Junyan Yang *CHUNTIAN LU CHUNTIAN LU
  • Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study explores the influence of religious beliefs on environmental attitudes and behaviours in China. Using data from the 2021 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), two structural equation models were constructed to examine the mediating roles of natural empathy and anthropocentrism in the relationship between environmental awareness and willingness to make sacrifices for environmental protection. The results indicated that while environmental awareness positively influenced willingness to sacrifice, natural empathy did not significantly mediate this relationship. Conversely, anthropocentrism negatively mediated the relationship, suggesting that individuals with anthropocentric tendencies were less willing to make personal sacrifices for environmental protection. Furthermore, a multi-group analysis revealed that individuals with traditional Eastern religious beliefs (Buddhism, Taoism, and folklore) exhibited higher environmental awareness and willingness to sacrifice compared to those with no religion or traditional Western (Christianity) religious beliefs. These findings highlight the influence of religious traditions, particularly the emphasis on nature reverence in Eastern religions, on shaping pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours. The study contributes to understanding the complex interplay between religious beliefs, environmental values, and sustainable behaviours in the Chinese context.

    Keywords: Religion, environment, Nature Empathy, anthropocentrism, SEM model

    Received: 06 Jun 2024; Accepted: 09 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Yang and LU. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Junyan Yang, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.