Religiosity predicts negative attitudes towards science and lower levels of science literacy.

ABSTRACT: Past research suggests that religion and science may conflict on which is a better tool for explaining the world. This conflict implies that religiosity might negatively impact both attitudes toward science and science knowledge. However, past research has focused mostly on religious affiliation and has not consistently identified such a relation using a general religiosity measure that assesses religious beliefs and religious practice. Using two large, nationally representative datasets as well as two original datasets, and controlling for relevant demographic variables, four studies (N = 9,205) showed that general measures of religiosity are negatively associated with science knowledge, a relation that was partially mediated by an association between religiosity and negative attitudes to

SUBMITTER: McPhetres J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6258506 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature