A new poll has found that committed Christians are more likely than other faiths and the general population to be sceptical about climate change.
In a survey of 2,064 UK adults by Whitestone Insight, over three quarters (77%) of the general population and a similar proportion of people of faith (76%) agreed that the climate is changing.
This fell to 61% among "exclusivist" Christians, defined as those who believe that theirs is the only true faith.
Faiths across the board were more likely to say that humans were not to blame for climate change - 28% of the general population versus 45% of exclusivist Christians, 34% of exclusivist Muslims, and 51% of exclusivist Hindus.
This was far higher than the proportion of non-exclusivist Christians (35%), Muslims (31%) and Hindus (31%) who held the same view.
While 70% of respondents overall agreed that climate change was one of the most pressing issues facing the world today, this fell to 61% of exclusivist Christians.
Dr. Jake Scott, secretary of the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life, which commissioned the survey, said of the findings: "Despite almost all faiths emphasising a duty of care and guardianship to the Earth, people of faith in the United Kingdom are more sceptical of climate change than their nonreligious counterparts, especially regarding both its existence and its man-made causes.
"However, the reasons for this remain complex and multifaceted, with differences within and between faiths explored within this timely report.
"If climate change is to be confronted seriously, there must be greater efforts to engage with faith communities across the country."
