Adding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Analyses of Climate Change Skepticism: A Research Note

Abstract

Existing literature on perceptions of climate change skeptics does not include a direct examination of skeptics who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), likely because they make up a small percentage of the U.S. population (1.6%). However, the LDS church is one of the fastest growing religious sects in the nation and world and is acquiring more political power, especially in the western United States. Our research note presents a preliminary look at Latter-day Saint skeptics. We find evangelical and Latter-day Saint skeptics align on measures of religious ideation and the belief that “humans are meant to rule over the rest of nature.” Yet, on measures of environmental concerns and values, Latter-day Saint skeptics appear to be somewhere between evangelical and mainline Christian skeptics. This pilot project provides a foundation for future work regarding LDS perceptions of climate change, environmental policy, and climate communication.