Religious Dimensions & Sustainable Consumption: A Pilot Study of Christian Students at the University of Texas at Austin

This paper examines how individual religiosity and denominational affiliation shape sustainable consumption behavior, value internalization, and everyday economic choices. It develops a comparative framework across three dimensions of religiosity measured by the Duke University Religion Index: Organizational Religious Activity, Non-Organizational Religious Activity, and Intrinsic Religiosity. Drawing on comparative religion and consumer psychology literature, this paper argues that religion functions not merely as a private belief system but as a value-forming mechanism through which individuals pursue stewardship, moderation, and justice-oriented ends. A pilot study of Christian undergraduates at the University of Texas at Austin, spanning Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox denominations, illustrates how these dimensions navigate trade-offs between public practice, private devotion, and internalized conviction. We conclude that religiosity is not a monolithic or neutral demographic category but operates through distinct behavioral and cognitive pathways, offering a diagnostic lens for understanding how belief translates into sustainable consumer behavior.