Catholics are more likely to be concerned about climate change than Protestants in Northern Ireland, with Presbyterians having the “lowest trust” in scientists, according to new research.
Social scientists from Queen’s University Belfast and Ulster University found the link between religion and attitudes to climate change in the North reflected broader international patterns.
Regular attendance at religious services was associated with “more scepticism” in relation to to humans causing climate change.
The research was published in the Northern Ireland Life and Times (NILT) Survey and the authors called for urgent engagement with religious communities to address the issue.
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Just under half of Presbyterians (47 per cent) who took part in the study agreed that scientific experts can be trusted to tell the truth about climate change, “echoing patterns associated with evangelical Protestantism elsewhere”.
Catholics were the “most concerned” about climate change, the most likely to attribute it to human causes, and the most trusting of scientific expertise, “findings that may be influenced by global Catholic leadership on ecological issues”.
Within Protestantism there was a divergence in views.
Presbyterians were found to be more sceptical than Church of Ireland members, while those of no religion and Catholics agreed most with statements on the need for action.
The research also found that those raised in a religion but no longer identifying with it expressed greater concern about climate change.
The information is based on the NILT Survey of 2024, which polled 1,199 people including 383 respondents who identified as Catholic, 193 as Presbyterian and 144 as Church of Ireland. The category “others” encapsulated smaller denominations as well as non-Christian faiths.
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The people most “personally worried” were non-believers (78 per cent), followed by Catholics (77 per cent), Church of Ireland (69 per cent), Presbyterians (53 per cent) and others (52 per cent).
Researchers found that 80 per cent of Catholics and no religion surveyed thought politicians should be doing more about climate change, compared to 65 per cent of Presbyterians.
Co-author Dr Jonny Hanson, from the School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work at Queen’s said the research pointed to the need for “moral leadership” from religious communities.
“Climate change is a defining issue of our time. There is therefore an urgent need for engagement with religious communities to address climate change in Northern Ireland and beyond,” he said.
“But the timing is good – the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is hosting a major conference at the end of September here in Belfast entitled ‘God’s world – our responsibility?’ It will hopefully see much discussion and leadership on some of these very important issues.”
Professor Gladys Ganiel from Queen’s, another co-author, said the findings highlighted “the importance of considering faith perspectives in climate debates and policymaking”.
