Skip to main content

Religion and Socio-economic Human Rights: An Empirical Enquiry Among Adolescents in England and Wales

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
International Empirical Studies on Religion and Socioeconomic Human Rights

Part of the book series: Religion and Human Rights ((REHU,volume 5))

Abstract

This study explores the association between attitudes toward socio-economic human rights and three dimensions of religion (religious practice, religiosity, and self-assigned religious affiliation), after taking into account personal factors (age and sex) and psychological factors (extraversion, neuroticism, and psychoticism) among a sample of 987 students between the ages of 14 and 18 years in England and Wales. Religious practice was assessed by two factors, personal prayer and worship attendance. Religiosity was assessed by three factors, thinking about religious issues, reconsidering religious issues, and belief in God. Self-assigned religious affiliation distinguished among four groups, Protestant Christians, Catholic Christians, Muslims, and religiously unaffiliated. The data demonstrated the importance of personal factors, with females and older students holding more positive attitudes toward socio-economic human rights, and the importance of psychological factors, with higher neuroticism scores and lower psychoticism scores being associated with more positive attitudes toward socio-economic human rights. Among the dimension of religion, religiosity provided stronger prediction of individual differences in attitudes toward socio-economic human rights than either religious practice or self-assigned religious affiliation. In particular, adolescents who often gave thought to religious issues held more positive attitudes toward socio-economic human rights.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Anthony, F.-V. (2013). Public significance of religion with regard to socioeconomic rights in the multireligious context of Tamil Nadu, India. In J. A. van der Ven & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Human rights and the impact of religion (pp. 205–244). Leiden: Brill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beit-Hallahmi, B., & Argyle, M. (1997). The psychology of religious behaviour, belief and experience. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Botvar, P. K. (2013). Religion and attitudes towards socioeconomic human rights: An empirical study of young adults in Norway. In J. A. van der Ven & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Human rights and the impact of religion (pp. 245–263). Leiden: Brill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Botvar, P. K., & Sjöborg, A. (2012). Views on human rights among Christian, Muslim and non-religious youth in Norway and Sweden. Nordic Journal of Religion and Society, 75, 67–81.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16, 297–334. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02310555.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeVellis, R. F. (2003). Scale development: Theory and applications. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1976). Psychoticism as a dimension of personality. London: Hodder and Stoughton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1991). Manual of the Eysenck personality scales. London: Hodder and Stoughton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Francis, L. J. (1992). Is psychoticism really a dimension of personality fundamental to religiosity? Personality and Individual Differences, 13, 645–652. https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(92)90235-H.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Francis, L. J. (1993). The dual nature of the Eysenckian neuroticism scales: A question of sex differences? Personality and Individual Differences, 15, 43–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(93)90040-A.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Francis, L. J., & Hermans, C. A. M. (2009). Psychological health and attitude toward Christianity: A study among pupils attending Catholic schools in the Netherlands. Journal of Religious Education, 57, 47–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Francis, L. J., & Penny, G. (2014). Gender differences in religion. In V. Saroglou (Ed.), Religion, personality and social behaviour (pp. 313–337). New York: Psychology Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Francis, L. J., & Robbins, M. (2013). Religion, personality and human rights: An empirical study among adolescents in England and Wales distinguishing between religious identity and textual authority among Christians and Muslims. In J. A. van der Ven & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Human rights and the impact of religion (pp. 97–118). Leiden: Brill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Francis, L. J., & Robbins, M. (2016). Attitude toward human rights and religiosity among adolescents in England and Wales: Replicating and extending a study in Turkey. In H.-G. Ziebertz & E. H. Ballin (Eds.), Freedom of religion in the twenty-first century: A human rights perspective on the relationship between politics and religion (pp. 105–129). Leiden: Brill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Francis, L. J., Brown, L. B., & Philipchalk, R. (1992). The development of an abbreviated form of the revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQR-A): Its use among students in England, Canada, the USA and Australia. Personality and Individual Differences, 13, 443–449. https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(92)90073-X.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Francis, L. J., Robbins, M., Louden, S. H., & Haley, J. M. (2001). A revised psychoticism scale for the revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire: A study among clergy. Psychological Report, 88, 1131–1134. https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.2001.88.3c.1131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Francis, L. J., Robbins, M., ap Siôn, T., Lewis, C. A., & Barnes, L. P. (2007). Psychological health and attitude toward Christianity among Protestant and Catholic sixth-form pupils in Northern Ireland. Pastoral Psychology, 56, 157–164. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-007-0092-z.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Francis, L. J., Robbins, M., Santosh, R., & Bhanot, S. (2008). Religion and mental health among Hindu young people in England. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 11, 341–347. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674670701292094.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Francis, L. J., Robbins, M., & McKenna, M. (2016). Women’s socio-economic rights and religion among Christian, Islamic, and non-religiously affiliated students in England and Wales. In H.-G. Ziebertz & E. H. Ballin (Eds.), Freedom of religion in the twenty-first century: A human rights perspective on the relationship between politics and religion (pp. 239–256). Leiden: Brill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Graham, W. (1977). Divine word and prophetic word in early Islam. London: de Gruyter.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kay, W. K., & Francis, L. J. (1996). Drift from the Churches: Attitude toward Christianity during childhood and adolescence. Cardiff: University of Wales Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Madigan, D. A. (2001). The Qur’an’s self-image: Writing and authority in Islam’s scripture. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ok, U., & Eren, S. (2013). Attitudes towards human rights and religiosity: A case of Turkish adolescents. In J. A. van der Ven & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Human rights and the impact of religion (pp. 145–165). Leiden: Brill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sahin, A. (2008). Modern Qur’an studies: A critical assessment. Muslim World Book Review, 33(2), 51–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, W. C. (1993). What is scripture? A comparative approach. London: SCM press.

    Google Scholar 

  • van der Tuin, L. W. J. M., & Fumbo, C. D. (2012). Women rights and religion among Christian and Islamic students in Tanzania. In J. A. van der Ven & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Tensions within and between religions and human rights (pp. 203–222). Leiden: Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004218697_009.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • van der Ven, J. A. (2013). Towards a legitimate role of religion in the domain of socioeconomic rights: An empirical study among adolescents in North West European countries. In J. A. van der Ven & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Human rights and the impact of religion (pp. 167–203). Leiden: Brill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Village, A. (2016). Encountering the Bible. London: SCM Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Webb, R. J., Ziebertz, H.-G., Curran, J., & Reindl, M. (2012). Human rights among Muslims and Christians in Palestine and Germany. In J. A. van der Ven & H.-G. Ziebertz (Eds.), Tensions within and between religions and human rights (pp. 177–201). Leiden: Brill. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004218697_008.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Leslie J. Francis .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Francis, L.J., McKenna, U., Sahin, A. (2020). Religion and Socio-economic Human Rights: An Empirical Enquiry Among Adolescents in England and Wales. In: Ziebertz, HG. (eds) International Empirical Studies on Religion and Socioeconomic Human Rights. Religion and Human Rights, vol 5. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30934-3_7

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30934-3_7

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-30933-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-30934-3

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics