America Versus the Environment? Humanity, Nature, and the Sacred
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America versus the Environment? Humanity, Nature, and the Sacred 1973-2014 © 2019 Lukas Szrot Ph.D., Sociology, University of Kansas, 2019 M.A., Sociology, University of Texas at Arlington, 2015 B.A., Philosophy, University of Texas at Arlington, 2004 Submitted to the graduate degree program in Sociology and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Co-Chair: Robert J. Antonio Co-Chair: David Ekerdt Alice Bean Lesa Hoffman Ebenezer Obadare Paul V. Stock Date Defended: April 26, 2019 ii The dissertation committee for Lukas Szrot certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: America versus the Environment? Humanity, Nature, and the Sacred 1973-2014 Co-Chair: Robert J. Antonio Co-Chair: David J. Ekerdt Date Approved: April 26, 2019 iii Abstract The relationship between environmental concern and religiosity in the United States is complex and contentious. Analyses of survey research have yielded mixed results. Historical research has indicated that some strands of present-day environmentalism in the U.S. are rooted in specific Protestant attitudes and practices. Conceptual work has suggested that faith-based environmental organizations focus on long-term ethical change, rather than issue-based policy reform. It follows that efforts to model the connection between environmental concern and religiosity should account for change over time, which is the aim of this dissertation research. Using data from the 1973-2014 General Social Survey, measures of stewardship and conservation were regressed on several dimensions of change over time within religious group identities, including cohorts (Chapter 3), upbringing and disaffiliation (Chapter 4), as well as calendar year and age (Chapter 5). Environmental concern in the U.S. increased over time across all groups, but generally increased more quickly on average among members of religious groups with historical pro-environmental stances. Upbringing in a religious group with a historical pro-environmental stance was linked to higher levels of environmental concern in adulthood, though the highest levels of environmental concern were found among those who disaffiliated in adulthood. Younger religious persons were significantly more environmentally concerned than older religious persons in the same religious group. Separating cohorts by gender (Chapter 6), class (Chapter 7), as well as political party affiliation and race (Chapter 8): religious group identity was more salient in predicting changes in environmental concern over time among men; the conditional effect of religious group identity on environmental concern is largely confined to people of average income; and the often-discussed political polarization on environmental concern is largely due to increasing divides among white Protestants. In short, environmental iv concern has increased among younger religious adherents relative to older members of the same group. These trends generally take the form of “catching up to” historically higher levels of environmental concern among the unaffiliated. This research offers a relatively novel means by which to approach the religion-environment connection and suggests that religious groups may play a meaningful role in future efforts to address environmental issues. v Acknowledgments Though writing is often a solitary endeavor, it would not have been possible to be here, writing these words on this complete dissertation draft, without a great deal of guidance and assistance. My advisors and co-chairs, Robert J. Antonio and David Ekerdt, and former co-chair, Emily Rauscher have offered indispensable mentorship and guidance on the way down the long and winding path to this Ph.D. They read earlier drafts of this dissertation and offered feedback and comments which will help propel the work contained herein toward (hopefully) numerous published works, and (also, hopefully) a long and fruitful career to come. Additionally, it would not have been possible to complete this dissertation without the guidance and brilliant statistics pedagogy (and the computer assistance) of Lesa Hoffman, specifically the multilevel models in Chapter 5. I am grateful to Alice Bean for some early guidance and direction as this project began in the summer and fall of 2017. Ebenezer Obadare has been a mentor and friend since I arrived at the University of Kansas, loaning me books from his extensive collection and offering invaluable advice along the way. It would not have been possible to reach this point in the journey without Paul Stock, with whom I have had the opportunity to have many inspiring conversations regarding the shape and future of sociology, culminating in a co-authored book chapter. Kelly Chong, Jason E. Shelton, Elaine Ecklund, and Michael O. Emerson also aided me in finding direction for my interest in sociology of religion along the way, and ChangHwan Kim, Robert Kunovich, Eric Hanley, and Tracey LaPierre encouraged me to pursue my interest in statistics and quantitative analysis. Heather Jacobson, Beth Anne Shelton, M. Faye Hanson- Evans, and Jamaica Kennedy encouraged me to pursue a PhD, and to aim high, as a writer, and in all scholarly endeavors. Sincere thanks, all. I am also grateful to my late Master’s Thesis advisor, Ben Agger, and my late undergraduate advisor, Dennis “Denny” Bradshaw. I would not vi be here without your guidance and support. You both left us too soon; I aim to live such as to honor your memory. I would also like to thank all the family members and friends back in Texas. It is good to see you when I can, and I miss you. I dedicate this work to my wife and partner Charline, who has stood by me through 19 years of variegated adventures. vii Table of Contents List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ xi List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ xv Chapter 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Review of Related Research ....................................................................................................... 4 Hypotheses and General Plan of This Dissertation .................................................................. 11 Part One of this Dissertation ................................................................................................. 12 Part Two of this Dissertation ................................................................................................ 18 Summary and Recapitulation .................................................................................................... 25 Chapter 2. Analytic Strategy ......................................................................................................... 26 Variable Specifications ............................................................................................................. 27 Outcome Variables ................................................................................................................ 28 Predictors .............................................................................................................................. 30 Controls ................................................................................................................................. 33 Model Specifications ................................................................................................................ 40 Modeling Change over Time, Chapter 5 ............................................................................... 43 Technical Appendix A2 ............................................................................................................ 49 Chapter 3. Changes in Environmental Concern by Religion and Birth Cohort ............................ 50 How Levels of Environmental Concern Differ Over Time ...................................................... 53 Descriptive Results ............................................................................................................... 55 Stewardship Multivariate Findings ........................................................................................... 57 Religion and Conservation Multivariate Results ...................................................................... 62 Environmental Concern by Religious Group Affiliation: Summing Up .................................. 67 viii “Other Religion”: Complexities, Tensions, and Limitations among non-Judeo-Christians ..... 70 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 73 Chapter 4. Religious Upbringing, Disaffiliation, and Environmental Concern ............................ 77 Effects of Upbringing on Environmental Concern ................................................................... 81 Accounting for the “Ex’s” ........................................................................................................ 82 Stewardship, Upbringing, and Disaffiliation ............................................................................ 85 Conservation, Upbringing, and Disaffiliation ........................................................................... 90 How Religious Upbringing Relates to Religious Group Identity: