宗教性と社会意識

キリスト教信者アンケート調査を事例に

抄録

　This paper seeks to examine the differences in social attitudes in Japan between religious persons and those who are not religious, as well as the relationship between religiosity and social attitudes of Japanese Christians in order to more comprehensively understand their faith.
　The analysis presented in this paper was the result of data collected from members of Protestant churches in Japan. Also, to make a comparative analysis, Japan General Social Survey data was used. The following findings were obtained as a result of quantitative analysis of these data.
(1) There are differences in social attitudes depending on religious attribution.Regarding euthanasia, religious people are more likely to be opposed than those who are not religious. In terms of political orientation, people whose faith is the family's traditional religion (but who are not themselves religious) are more conservative.
(2) The social attitudes of Japanese Christians differ as compared with those of non-Christians Japanese people. The remarkable difference is that Christians are more likely to oppose euthanasia but have a more liberal political orientation. They emphasize life ethics and are more liberal in their political attitudes.
(3) Religiosity of Christians has a direct partial effect on social attitudes. "Intrinsic orientation" has a negative effect on euthanasia and capital punishment. Conversely, "extrinsic orientation" has a positive effect on these issues. Political orientation is influenced by the parent's religion.
　In Japan, Christianity is a minority religion that has heterogeneous value norms compared to Japanese culture. Consequently, Japanese Christians are very different from ordinary people in social attitudes. Moreover, it is suggested that religious factors are important in explaining the differences in Japanese social attitudes. This result suggests areas for future investigation. By taking into account religious factors, a new perspective on social attitude studies may be presented.