Report
Engaging Worldview: A Snapshot of Religious and Spiritual Climate (Part II)
Learn about students’ attitudes toward other worldviews and religious pluralism.
Introduction
Part I of the Engaging Worldview: A Snapshot of Religious & Spiritual Climate series focused on students’ perceptions of a range of religious and spiritual climate dimensions as well as engagement in curricular and co-curricular experiences. It revealed that students of diverse worldviews, races, and genders act within and interpret the campus community differently in terms of religion and spirituality. These nuances inform how college educators should approach their work to build more inclusive campus environments.
In Part II of this series, attention shifts to students’ attitudes toward other worldviews and religious pluralism. This report explores the questions:
- To what degree do students have appreciative attitudes toward diverse worldviews?
- To what degree do students adopt positive orientations toward religious pluralism?
- How do appreciative attitudes and pluralism orientations vary across different student populations?
Educators can use this report to understand national trends related to these questions. Additionally, readers are provided with prompts to reflect on the data described herein, consider how these data relate to particular campus contexts, and determine how insights can be translated to practice on campus. Tips and resources provided throughout the report, as well as a set of recommendations listed at the end, are specifically designed to facilitate the application of research findings on college and university campuses.
Understanding students’ attitudes and pluralism orientations related to religious diversity can illuminate opportunities for educational interventions, which, in turn, can improve religious and spiritual campus climate.