scholarly journals Can Religiosity Be Explained by ‘Brain Wiring’? An Analysis of US Adults’ Opinions

Religions ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 586
Author(s):  
Sharan Kaur Mehta ◽  
Christopher P. Scheitle ◽  
Elaine Howard Ecklund
Keyword(s):  
Narrow Range ◽  
Explanatory Power ◽  
Religious Experiences ◽  
Representative Survey ◽  
Religion And Science ◽  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Attitudes About Science ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Relationship

Studies examining how religion shapes individuals’ attitudes about science have focused heavily on a narrow range of topics, such as evolution. This study expands this literature by looking at how religion influences individuals’ attitudes towards the claim that neuroscience, or “brain wiring,” can explain differences in religiosity. Our analysis of nationally representative survey data shows, perhaps unsurprisingly, that religiosity is negatively associated with thinking that brain wiring can explain religion. Net of religiosity, though, individuals reporting religious experiences are actually more likely to agree that brain wiring can explain religiosity, as are individuals belonging to diverse religious traditions when compared to the unaffiliated. We also find that belief in the general explanatory power of science is a significant predictor of thinking that religiosity can be explained by brain wiring, while women and the more highly educated are less likely to think this is true. Taken together, these findings have implications for our understanding of the relationship between religion and science, and the extent to which neuroscientific explanations of religiosity are embraced by the general US public.

scholarly journals A Pilot Assessment of How Muslim Scientists Perceive Inclusion in the Scientific Workplace

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Jauhara Ferguson ◽  
Elaine Howard Ecklund
Keyword(s):  
Science Literature ◽  
Religious Discrimination ◽  
Religious Experiences ◽  
Religion And Science ◽  
Muslim Identity ◽  
The Social ◽  
Muslim Majority ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Context Shapes ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Much of the social science literature on how religious and scientific communities relate to one another is focused on the relationship Christian communities have to science in the US and to a lesser extent the UK. Our pilot research begins to address this gap by studying Muslim scientists, a key group of actors who are important to understanding the social implications of global discussions about religion and science. We ask: How do Muslim scientists in non-Muslim majority national contexts perceive the relationship between religion and science and the connection between their faith and their work? In this pilot study, we analyze 13 in-depth interviews with Muslim scientists from three non-Muslim majority national contexts—France, India, and the United Kingdom. We find that Muslim scientists in our sample generally view their faith as compatible with their identities as scientists. Despite this connection, Muslim scientists do not consider the scientific workplace to be a supportive environment for their faith expression and believe the visibility of Muslim identity creates the potential for religious discrimination in science. Initial findings contribute to our understanding of how national context shapes religious experiences and highlights potential challenges to facilitating more religiously plural workplace environments.

The influence of science popularizers on the public’s view of religion and science: An experimental assessment

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher P. Scheitle ◽  
Elaine Howard Ecklund
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Representative Survey ◽  
Religion And Science ◽  
Experimental Assessment ◽  
Richard Dawkins ◽  
Public Figures ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Influence Perceptions ◽  
People’S Perceptions

Research suggests that public figures can play an influential role in forming public opinion; yet, little research has experimentally tested the efficacy of public figures on the cognitive formation of boundaries. Using an experiment embedded within a nationally representative survey, we examine how two science popularizers, Francis Collins and Richard Dawkins, influence perceptions regarding the boundaries between religion and science. We find that learning of Dawkins does not influence people’s perceptions of the religion–science relationship, while learning of Collins shifts respondents toward a collaborative view of religion and science. Findings suggest that figures with unexpected views might be more effective in changing conceptual boundaries.

scholarly journals A Tale of Two Pandemics: Economic Inequality and Support for Containment Measures in Peru

2021 ◽  
pp. 1866802X2110353
Author(s):  
Miguel Carreras ◽  
Sofia Vera ◽  
Giancarlo Visconti
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Socioeconomic Inequalities ◽  
Economic Conditions ◽  
Representative Survey ◽  
Differential Impact ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Containment Measures ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Relationship

Research suggests that the coronavirus pandemic disproportionately affected poor communities. However, relatively little is known about how this differential impact affected support for, and compliance with, COVID-19 lockdown policies. This article examines the relationship between socioeconomic inequalities and public opinion towards COVID-19 containment measures in Peru. Despite the strict quarantine measures adopted by the government of Peru, the country struggled to contain the spread of the disease. We designed and implemented a nationally representative survey in Peru and found that economically vulnerable sectors are more likely to oppose the quarantine and are more likely to defy the stay-at-home recommendations to leave home and go to work. Our contribution highlights that poor citizens’ housing and economic conditions can explain why the poor are more likely to react negatively to COVID-19 lockdown policies.

scholarly journals Challenging Evolution in Public Schools: Race, Religion, and Attitudes toward Teaching Creationism

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 237802311987037 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esmeralda Sánchez Salazar ◽  
Brandon Vaidyanathan ◽  
Elaine Howard Ecklund ◽  
Adriana Garcia
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Religious Affiliation ◽  
Racial Groups ◽  
Representative Survey ◽  
Religion And Science ◽  
Latino Americans ◽  
Conservative Protestant ◽  
Attitudes Toward Teaching ◽  
Biblical Literalism ◽  
Nationally Representative

Researchers argue that white evangelical Christians are likely to support teaching creationism in public schools. Yet, less is known about the role religion may play in shaping attitudes toward evolution and teaching creationism among blacks and Latinos, who are overrepresented in U.S. conservative Protestant traditions. This study fills a gap in the literature by examining whether religious factors (e.g., religious affiliation and Biblical literalism) relate to differences in support for teaching creationism between blacks and Latinos compared to whites and other racial groups. Using a nationally representative survey (N = 9,425), we find that although black and Latino Americans support teaching creationism more than other groups, religion plays a stronger role among blacks in shaping support for teaching creationism instead of evolution. Results add an important racial dimension to scholarly discussions on religion and science and suggest further exploration of race alongside other factors that may contribute to support for teaching creationism.

The relationship between psychosocial work variables and workaholism: Findings from a nationally representative survey.

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilie Schou Andreassen ◽  
Morten Birkeland Nielsen ◽  
Ståle Pallesen ◽  
Johannes Gjerstad
Keyword(s):  
Representative Survey ◽  
Psychosocial Work ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
The Relationship

A Pilot Assessment of How Muslim Scientists Perceive Inclusion in the Scientific Workplace

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-130
Author(s):  
Jauhara Ferguson ◽  
Elaine Howard Ecklund
Keyword(s):  
Science Literature ◽  
Religious Discrimination ◽  
Religious Experiences ◽  
Religion And Science ◽  
Muslim Identity ◽  
The Social ◽  
Muslim Majority ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Context Shapes ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Much of the social science literature on how religious and scientific communities relate to one another is focused on the relationship Christian communities have to science in the US and to a lesser extent the UK. Our pilot research begins to address this gap by studying Muslim scientists, a key group of actors who are important to understanding the social implications of global discussions about religion and science. We ask: How do Muslim scientists in non-Muslim majority national contexts perceive the relationship between religion and science and the connection between their faith and their work? In this pilot study, we analyze 13 in-depth interviews with Muslim scientists from three non-Muslim majority national contexts—France, India, and the United Kingdom. We find that Muslim scientists in our sample generally view their faith as compatible with their identities as scientists. Despite this connection, Muslim scientists do not consider the scientific workplace to be a supportive environment for their faith expression and believe the visibility of Muslim identity creates the potential for religious discrimination in science. Initial findings contribute to our understanding of how national context shapes religious experiences and highlights potential challenges to facilitating more religiously plural workplace environments.

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