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Which is greener: secularity or religiosity? Environmental philanthropy along religiosity spectrum

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Abstract

Using a large, nationally representative Canadian survey (N = 12,922), this paper investigates how religiosity associates with environmental philanthropy. Based on the degree of religiosity, the population is divided into five mutually exclusive segments of very religious, average religiosity, nominal affiliate, unchurched believer, and strictly secular. The analysis shows that the individuals identified as very religious contribute the least amount of money to environmental causes, while the unchurched believers are the most generous. The investigation also shows that among various dimensions of religiosity, only religious attendance is statistically significantly associated with environmental philanthropy. The effect of religious attendance is, however, negative for monetary contribution and positive for volunteerism. Finally, the contribution of money to religious organizations negatively associates with environmental giving, while donation to secular causes predicts a higher level of monetary giving to environmental organizations. Various implications are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Economics, Sobey School of Business, Saint Mary’s University, 923 Robie Street, Halifax, NS, B3H 3C3, Canada

    Maryam Dilmaghani

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  1. Maryam Dilmaghani
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Correspondence to Maryam Dilmaghani.

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Dilmaghani, M. Which is greener: secularity or religiosity? Environmental philanthropy along religiosity spectrum. Environ Econ Policy Stud 20, 477–502 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10018-017-0201-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10018-017-0201-x

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