Perceptions of Christians on Climate Change in Ghana: Mixed Methods Study

The complexity of global climate change has warranted an intentional approach toward mitigating its associated risks to human society. This study aimed to investigate Christians' perceptions of climate change. Using the Bekwai municipality as a case study, we employed a mixed-methods approach to collect data from 484 survey respondents, 15 focus group participants, and 12 interviewees. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and multiple logistic regression, and thematic analysis. The results show that Ghanaian Christians are aware of climate change and perceive its manifestations as high temperatures, increased variability in rainfall patterns, severe droughts, and frequent floods. Estimates from the multiple logit regression show that sex (p =.047), Age (p =.019), Education level (p =.010), community (p =.012), and household size (p =.035) are factors that significantly influence Christians’ perception of high temperatures. Perception of droughts was significantly influenced by education level (p =.002), occupation (p =.007), and membership in denominations (p=.011), while perceived frequent floods were influenced by sex (p=.005), marital status (p=.013), community (p=.004) and household size (p <.001). In addition, Christians' perception of decreased rainfall duration was predicted by age (p =.007), education (p=.003), occupation (p=.004), community (p =.021), and denomination affiliation (p =.034). To enhance climate change advocacy and action, policymakers should collaborate with religious institutions, particularly Mainline churches, to leverage their perspectives and experiences to promote climate-sensitive behaviors