Heaven and earth: a systematic review of theories on the relationship between religion and environmental behaviour

Abstract

Background: Accelerating anthropogenic environmental degradation calls for diverse strategies to promote pro-environmental behaviors. Religion, with its potential to motivate such behaviors, has gained attention, exemplified by the rise of eco-theology. However, the theoretical frameworks connecting religion to environmental behavior remain unclear. This systematic review aims to address this gap. Objective: The purpose of this systematic review was to explore the use of theories employed in studying the relationship between religion and environmental behaviour. Methods: Four databases were systematically searched to retrieve articles linking religion to any type of environmental behaviour using a theory. Results: In forty-six articles that met the eligibility criteria, the relationship between religion and environmental behaviour was depicted using 23 theories. These theories could be categorized based on factors that drive action into six metatheories namely Psychological Need, Independent-Self, Independent-Structure, Communal Need, Top-Down, and Interdependent. Environmental behaviours measured various personal behaviours such as green and organic food consumption, use of green products, and recycling and firm-related behaviour measured mainly via corporate social responsibility. Discussion: Since multiple factors, such as situational context, culture, level of religiosity, gender, and family status, moderate the relationship between religion and environmental behaviour, applying an all-encompassing theory to study this relationship is challenging. Furthermore, inconsistencies in measuring religiosity’s aspects and religious orientation limited the ability to compare different studies. Conclusion: This review offers a metatheoretical classification of theories linking religion and environmental behavior. It provides a foundation for refining theories to enable leveraging religious values in fostering pro-environmental behavior.