Christian Identities, Theologies of Religion, and Attitude towards Religious Diversity: A Study among 13- to 15-Year-Old Students across the UK

Abstract

Understanding variations in public attitudes towards religious diversity is a matter of concern within both the social scientific study of religion (concerned with religious factors) and empirical theology (concerned with theological factors). Drawing on data provided by 10,734 13- to 15-year-old students from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, this study tests the power of religious factors and theological factors to explain variance within the Attitude toward Religious Diversity Index (ARDI). Regression analyses demonstrate that theological factors account for additional variance after the inclusion of seven religious factors. The insights of the social scientific study of religion and empirical theology are complementary in this regard.