Cross-national Differences in Attitudes about the Boundary between Science and Religion: A Multi-level Analysis

• In Event: 455 - Section on Sociology of Religion Paper Session. Changing the Conversation on Science and Religion: Culture, Movements, and New Frontiers

Abstract

A large body of research examines how individual-level factors shape attitudes about the boundary between science and religion, but few studies examine how national religious and scientific contexts frame perceptions of reason and faith. This paper uses data from the 2008 wave of the International Social Survey Programme to test competing theories about cross-national differences in public attitudes about the relationship between science and religion. A multilevel analysis of 52,525 individual in 39 nations identifies both country- and individual-level differences in beliefs about the boundary between science and religion. Specifically, we find that women and older, less educated, and more religiously devout individuals are more likely to respond that we rely too much on science and not enough on faith. However, in non-Protestant countries and in countries with higher levels of appreciation and engagement with science, respondents are less likely to perceive a conflict between science and religion.

Authors

• Timothy L O'Brien, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

• Shiri Noy, University of Wyoming