Religion and Environment: The Role of Religiosity on Pro-environmental Behavior Among University Students in Indonesia

Abstract

Numerous environmental problems in various countries occur as a result of human misbehavior in interacting with their environment. Therefore, to maintain balance in the relationship between humans and the natural environment, it is necessary to develop pro-environmental behavior. This study aims to investigate the role of religiosity on pro-environmental behavior. This research employed a quantitative-correlational method. The participants in this study were 205 university students aged 18-24 years who were selected by convenience sampling technique. This study used two primary instruments to measure the two research variables: Religious Commitment Inventory - 10 (RCI-10) to measure religiosity and the General Ecological Behavior Scale to measure pro-environmental behavior. The research data were analyzed using regression analysis techniques. The analysis showed that religiosity has a significant role as a predictor of pro-environmental behavior among university students. This means that the higher the level of religiosity, the higher pro-environmental behavior. These findings have practical implications for environmental conservation programs. It is important to develop pro-environmental behavior intervention programs for the community by instilling religious values that could encourage awareness, and then behavior, of environmental sustainability. Keywords: religion, religiosity, pro-environmental behavior, environmental psychology, environment