Religious Affiliation and Consumer Behavior toward Biodiversity Conservation in Europe

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between religious affiliations and consumer behavior toward biodiversity conservation versus economic development. The data was collected from 27 countries in the European Union and the United Kingdom, which are particularly affected by biodiversity loss and have a diverse religious landscape. The researchers applied a cluster analysis to identify three segments: Uninformed, Conservationist, and Preservationist. The cluster membership of individuals was then predicted using a stepwise multinomial logistic regression based on ten socioeconomic indicators, including religious affiliation. Results showed that religious affiliation was the fourth most important socioeconomic factor in predicting European citizens’ behaviors towards biodiversity. There was a significant relationship between religious affiliation and consumers’ perceptions of the importance of biodiversity conservation, with agnostics, non-believers, and atheists being more likely to hold conservationist views and Christians, Orthodox, Catholics, and Muslims being the most prominent segments of the Preservationist. These findings provide insights into the potential role of Social Marketing in promoting pro-biodiversity attitudes and behaviors.