Religiosity and climate change policies

Abstract

National climate change policies vary considerably across countries. This study explores how a country’s adoption of climate change policies is influenced by its population’s level of religiosity. We update and extend an existing cross-country index of climate change policy stringency. The cross-country analysis suggests that countries with populations exhibiting greater religious fervor tend to adopt less stringent climate change policies. Our findings shed new light on how a cultural dimension affects contemporary policy outcomes and may help policymakers identify obstacles to climate change policies.