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Cultural Authority in Comparative Context: A Multilevel Analysis of Trust in Science and Religion
Author(s) -
O'Brien Timothy L.,
Noy Shiri
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal for the scientific study of religion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.941
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1468-5906
pISSN - 0021-8294
DOI - 10.1111/jssr.12537
Subject(s) - religiosity , context (archaeology) , sociology , general social survey , perception , social science , european social survey , public awareness of science , secular state , survey data collection , science communication , social psychology , political science , epistemology , science education , psychology , politics , law , geography , philosophy , pedagogy , archaeology , statistics , mathematics
Science and religion are among the most influential forces for organizing social life around the world, yet we know little about how national context shapes perceptions of them. Using data from the 2008 International Social Survey Program, we begin to fill this gap by investigating cross‐national differences in public attitudes about science, religion, and society. We find that exposure to science is associated with more trust in science relative to religion whereas religiosity is associated with less trust in science relative to religion. Moreover, these relationships are amplified in secular societies and in those where science is prioritized. We argue that secular and scientific societies provide a context in which personal characteristics are more influential in the formation of social attitudes. These results highlight the importance of macro‐level factors for shaping trust in science and religion and for understanding the sources of their influence in society more broadly.