Piety Or Politics: A Content Analysis of Religious and Political Media Across the Evangelical Divide in Canada and the United States

Abstract

Climate change poses a significant challenge globally, and securing support from U.S. voters is crucial. Notably, about a quarter of U.S. adults are evangelicals, who generally display marked skepticism towards climate change—a stark contrast to Canadian evangelicals, who largely recognize the problem. This study, through a qualitative content analysis of 40 sources including religious online media and right-leaning political online sources, investigates the reasons for the deep-seated climate change skepticism among American evangelicals compared to their Canadian counterparts. Research initially examined if Christian theological beliefs, such as dominion and end times, underpin this skepticism. While these beliefs influence attitudes, they alone do not account for the varied interpretations of biblical passages between Canadian and American evangelicals, indicating that other factors contribute to the skepticism prevalent among Americans. Further analysis of religious and political digital media revealed how American conservative politics intensify climate skepticism. The shift to media-driven religious instruction has positioned conservative outlets as the primary influencers of evangelical views, creating a feedback loop with conservative think tanks that promotes skepticism through media content that challenges climate science.