The Feeling Is Not Mutual: Religious Belief Predicts Compatibility Between Science and Religion, but Scientific Belief Predicts Conflict

Abstract

The aim of the present research was to examine the independent contribution of beliefs in science and religion, respectively, to perceptions of science–religion compatibility across diverse countries and religious groups. To assess this, we recruited participants from three countries (the United Kingdom, Netherlands, and Kazakhstan; N = 684) and presented them with measures of belief in science and religious belief as independent constructs, such that the belief in science measure referred only to perceptions of science, without comparing science to religion, while the religious belief measure referred only to religious beliefs, without comparing religion to science. Participants then indicated the extent to which they saw conflict or compatibility between science and religion when it came to ontological/existential questions. Across countries, we found that religious belief, independently of belief in science, predicted strong science–religion compatibility perceptions, while belief in science, independently of religious belief, predicted conflict. Religious believers and believers in science have conflicting views on the relationship between science and religion, suggesting they may use different meaning systems to find meaning.